Hello,
Friends and neighbors,
On Thursday we had a marathon hearing in the Judiciary Committee, where we reviewed a series of gun control measures pushed by Senate Democrats.
* Senate File 1116 is their universal background check bill, which places extreme new burdens on gun ownership.
* Senate File 1117 is their red flag law, which allows for gun confiscation before you have access to due process of the law
* Senate File 2827 increases the penalty for owning a machine gun, trigger activator, or machine gun conversion kit to a shocking 20 years in prison and a $35,000 fine. It also makes it a crime to own or possess any short-barreled shotgun, with a prison sentence of up to 5 years and a fine of $10,000
As I have said before, it should go without saying that I vehemently oppose these bills and all other anti-gun bills.
Gun ownership is an important part of our cultural and historical identity here in northern Minnesota. Hunting, sport shooting, and gun ownership are deeply ingrained in our way of life. Guns are also an important aspect of protecting our families, animals, and property – especially in northern Minnesota where there are a lot of sparsely populated areas and police response time can take a while.
Finally, gun ownership is simply a fundamental right enshrined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, as a safeguard against a potential tyrannical government. It shall not be infringed.
Democrats’ budget framework - reckless spending, little relief
This week Democrats unveiled their budget framework for the year. Here are the highlights (or lowlights)
* It spends the entire surplus – $17.9 billion
* It increases government spending by 30%
* The total general fund budget would be a staggering $70 billion. (For comparison, it has roughly doubled in the last decade)
* They are allotting $3 billion for taxes, but most of that will be in the form of local government aid or other credits. Very little of it will be heading into your pockets.
* The bill raises billions in taxes, including a $1.7 billion paid leave mandate.
The Democrats' and Gov Walz's budget framework is absolutely crazy.
I keep hearing the same thing from people everywhere - you want us to give the surplus back, and I agree. The state's huge, $19 billion budget surplus means we're taking too much from taxpayers. A lot of folks are having a tough time with high costs for necessities like groceries and fuel. It's our job to help them out by giving back that extra money. It should be our top priority.
Contact me
If you have any questions or comments about the issues we are working on, please contact me anytime. My email is [email protected], or you can call me at 651-296-7079.
Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook: https://www.fb.com/SenatorJustinEichorn.
It is a privilege to serve you!
