Several more Minnesota sheriffs speak out against gun control proposals – Law Officer

At least five more Minnesota sheriffs are speaking out against the DFL’s gun control agenda, including a bill that would make it more difficult for people to defend themselves in their own homes.

There are four gun control bills on the docket this session, including HF 396, a safe storage mandate. The bill would require gun owners to store their firearms unloaded, with a locking device, and apart from ammunition whenever they are not being carried.

Exceptions would be made for peace officers and permit-holders “who store a loaded, holstered handgun in a quick access safe.”

Clearwater County Sheriff Darin Halverson and Itasca County Sheriff Joe Dasovich spoke out against the bill last week.

They are now joined by Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang, Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk, St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay, Becker County Sheriff Todd Glander, and Clay County Sheriff Mark Empting.

“This bill inhibits the rights of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families when a threat of great bodily harm or death is imposed. If we cannot have a loaded firearm easily accessible to protect ourselves, especially in our own home, are we expected to have the criminal wait until we locate our ammunition and load our weapons?” Glander wrote in a letter to legislators.

Sheriff Welk criticized the DFL’s proposed “red-flag” law, which would allow law enforcement and relatives to “petition a court to prohibit people from possessing firearms if they pose a significant danger to themselves or others.”

“HF15 would authorize the issuance of court orders that prohibit the possession of firearms without evidence of a criminal conviction or evidence of mental illness. Simply being labeled a ‘significant danger’ by others becomes enough to deprive someone of a constitutional right. There is no right to a jury trial or the heightened standard of proof beyond a reasonable double,” Welk said.

He said legislators should focus on expanding funding for “corrections, mental health and substance abuse treatment” instead of “making criminals out of otherwise law-abiding gun owners.”

Democrats have also proposed legislation to require criminal background checks for all firearm transfers and mandate reporting of lost or stolen firearms.

This article originally appeared at Alpha News.