Dear neighbors,
A provision of a law I authored during the 2015 Legislative Session that strengthens our Second Amendment rights is scheduled to take effect Saturday, August 1.
The omnibus public safety bill that was signed into law in May contains my legislation amending state statute to allow the issuance of a permit to carry to serve as required notification to the Commissioner of Public Safety so that the permit holder may legally carry a firearm in Capitol-area state buildings.
My proposal initially passed the House in April as a standalone bill with strong bipartisan support by a vote of 92-38 including 21 Democrats. It was later included in the House omnibus public safety bill and the conference committee report that passed both chambers in May.
With a pro-Second Amendment majority in charge of the Minnesota House, I’m proud to say that this common-sense reform to protect the civil rights of law-abiding citizens is now law. Besides removing an impediment to the right of our permit holders to legally carry at the Capitol, this new law will save our state time and money for our law enforcement officials who are tasked with reviewing permits.
Organizations devoted to protecting our Second Amendment rights have weighed in with support for my efforts at the Capitol.
"On behalf of the NRA’s five million members, I want to thank Representative Jim Nash for his leadership in defending the Second Amendment rights of Minnesotans. This important legislation ensures that law-abiding citizens who choose to exercise the constitutional right to self-protection don’t unwittingly run afoul of the law." – Chris W. Cox, executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action.
"Representative Nash was a strong advocate for this law that strengthens Second Amendment rights in Minnesota, eliminates pointless paperwork, but even more importantly, removes a 'gotcha' felony trap that lawmakers never intended." –Andrew Rothman, President of GOCRA (Minnesota Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance)
Other new laws are set to go into effect on Saturday as well. You can learn more about them by clicking here.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Jim