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Dear Neighbor,
Both House and Senate Democrats approved an omnibus bill with gun-control measures yesterday, related to universal background checks and red flag confiscation orders. The bill (S.F. 2909) is now in the hands of the governor for his anticipated enactment into law.
This is disappointing to those of us who are strong Second Amendment supporters, but there is at least some good news to report: Thanks in large part to the massive outpouring of citizen input, the final language was watered down from earlier proposals.
For example, a burdensome storage provision and misguided language regarding stolen firearms were stripped from the bill. And the universal background check now applies ?only? to pistols and semi-automatic military-style rifles. The language was also narrowed to ?only? require private party transfers to hold onto their record of transfer for 10 years (down from the House Democrats? 20 years) and the penalty for a lost transfer record has been reduced from a from a gross misdemeanor to a misdemeanor.
I still object to the provisions that did pass, but the result is certainly less onerous for law-abiding citizens than what had been proposed. Thank you to everyone who participated in grass-roots efforts to support our Second Amendment, from the dozens of sheriffs around the state, to hundreds of people who attended our recent town halls, and thousands more who reached out to legislators to provide input.
As I have mentioned numerous times, it is highly unlikely the universal background check and red flag confiscation orders will, in any significant way, help our state get a grip on the exceptionally high rate of violent crime we are experiencing. We need to do more to focus on mental health, but this bill focuses on guns and places undo burdens on law-abiding citizens. Entering a volatile situation, seizing someone?s guns, and leaving them with a warm handshake and a pamphlet is not a real solution. In some cases, that may only escalate problems.
The realist in me says this push to undermine our Second Amendment rights is not over, so we need to remain vigilant. I will continue doing my best to keep people in our district up to speed.
On a side note: While the gun-control provisions and the creation of a state speech registry were among reasons preventing me from supporting the public safety bill, it does include some good measures, including cracking down on carjacking and organized retail theft. It is good to see those provisions advance, even if I do not approve of the bill as a whole.
Watch for more from the Capitol soon. We are required to adjourn May 22, although there are rumblings House Democrats want to cut out as early as Thursday. Things are very fluid, so stay tuned and I will be back once we have some clarity on the end of this session.
Sincerely,
Matt
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