Dear Friends,

This week in the Judiciary committee we heard two bills that seek to limit your 2^nd Amendment rights. Democrats are moving fast this session to make fundamental changes to our state. Their next move is restricting your constitutional right to own a firearm. HF 14 and HF 15 are the two gun bills that are currently moving through the legislature. I strongly encourage you to read these bills and encourage legislators to vote against them.

HF 15 is seeking to implement red flag laws in Minnesota. So often we hear that red flag laws are critical to stopping individuals with mental health concerns from possessing a firearm. The problem is that in states that have red flag laws, their suicide rates have not gone down. The real problem we need to address is the mental health crisis in our state and country. Instead of taking away guns from law abiding citizens, we need to focus on providing mental health resources for those in need.

I also met with several University of Minnesota regent candidates this week. Regents serve on the board that governs the U of M and they are elected by the legislature to serve six-year terms. One issue that is most important to me is the safety of our students, so my conversations with these candidates focus on ensuring that students, staff, and the surrounding campus communities are safe. ?

A new organization that is working to tackle these issues is the Campus Safety Coalition. I met with their leadership and discussed their advocacy for more safety resources for all University of Minnesota campuses. No parent should have to worry about sending their child to a college campus that isn?t secure. You can learn more about the Campus Safety Coalition here.