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The big news out of St. Paul this week was the House of Representatives considering two controversial gun control bills.
HF8 (universal background checks) would create new requirements on firearm transfers between private parties and impose strict barriers for law-abiding Minnesotans, but it wouldn’t stop criminals who already don’t follow the law. HF9 (red flag law) would allow family members, friends, or an attorney to petition for an “extreme risk protection order” to prohibit someone from possessing firearms. By never allowing gunowners to defend themselves in court, this process would be a violation of due process rights.
I voted “no” on the bills and remain opposed to each of them. I believe they would only infringe on constitutional rights while doing nothing to truly stop people from committing violence. Instead of pursuing gun control that will only impact responsible gunowners, it’s important that we enforce the laws already on the books and prosecute violent criminals. We also must address the mental health problems that are causing people to commit acts of violence, and these bills fail to do that too.
In the end, each of these bills passed in the House. However, I am confident a Republican majority in the Senate will ensure these don’t become law this year.
I wrote last week about the issue of affordable insulin and the numerous resources in the private sector and in public health programs for individuals who struggle to afford it.
On Wednesday, the House considered a bill to create an emergency insulin assistance program as well as a program providing ongoing insulin access. While I support finding solutions to make sure Minnesotans have access to the affordable insulin, my main concern is that these programs would raise taxes (specifically on insulin) by $114 million. This would only make insulin more expensive for those who need it.
It’s important that diabetics have access to affordable insulin, but taxing it isn’t the way to lower these costs. We can take care of those in emergency situations without making insulin more expensive for everyone who needs it.
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