Expected spirited debate before votes likely tonight in the Democrat-controlled Minnesota House on two controversial gun bills — universal background checks and a “red flag” law to take guns away from those judged to be a risk to themselves or others. House Speaker Melissa Hortman says, “The public is demanding very clearly that we take action. There has been senseless gun violence across this country. It’s been escalating for some time.” House Republican Minority Leader Kurt Daudt responds Democrats are doing something they think will help them in the election. “These bills aren’t designed to solve a problem and, frankly, we have a mental health crisis,” Daudt says. “They [Democrats] know that there are fatal flaws with these bills… and really they don’t get at the heart of what the real problem is.”
Speaker Hortman says in 2018 voters gave control of the Minnesota House to Democrats, largely she says on the gun issue. Republicans control the Minnesota Senate but Hortman says “senators were not on the ballot in 2018, and they are going to during 2020 have some conversations with Minnesotans who cannot understand why we haven’t already acted.”