KWLM Radio in St. Paul is reporting that new gun control laws take effect Tuesday in Minnesota, while at the same time, the station notes that “decreased criminal penalties” are also going into effect.
According to the brief report, a new program “that could reduce many inmates’ prison sentences up to 17 percent if they make sufficient progress in substance abuse or sex offender treatment, mental health programs, or on education or employment plans,” became effective Tuesday.
But in the gun control arena, the Washington Examiner is reporting that Minnesotans cannot loan a firearm to a friend or family member for a hunting trip, but does allow a gun to be borrowed during hunting hours so long as the gun owner accompanies the borrower.
Gun owners and buyers must fill out a record of transfer “and authorities will have 30 days to process the transfer.” Until today, they have had a maximum of seven days for the process, the newspaper said.
The Examiner story quoted Rob Doar, senior vice president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, who stated, “The impact of these laws will only be felt by peaceable gun owners, who are being imposed with unreasonable barriers to the free exercise of a Constitutionally protected right. Regulating peaceful conduct that is common among gun owners will do nothing to impact violent crime. Once again, it is law-abiding gun owners in the government’s sights, not resources and strategies to address the mental health crisis or criminal misuse of guns.”
The new gun control laws came about because the midterm elections put Minnesota’s legislature in the hands of the Democrat Farm Labor party for the first time in several years.
