House panel votes to repeal Minnesota gun law

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In a show of new Republican strength at the State Capitol, a House panel Wednesday voted to repeal Minnesota's gun permit requirement, saying it unnecessarily duplicated federal laws

By a 10 to 7 vote, the proposal would repeal a state requirement that anyone wanting to buy a handgun or semiautomatic military-style assault weapon from a federally-licensed dealer must first obtain a state permit.

The measure, which now goes before another House committee, was passed over loud protests from DFLers, gun law advocates and police officer associations. But Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Good Thunder, the panel's chair who showed up at the meeting carrying a briefcase that featured a large sticker that said "Crime Control Not Gun Control", promised before the 90-minute meeting began that he had the votes to pass the initiative.

"The bill, again, simply removes an unnecessary, redundant and expensive unfunded local government mandate," said Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, the bill's chief author. Drazkowski and other supporters argued that Minnesota was just one of 12 states that also required a state permit, and that the law was duplicative of federal efforts.

"It's an incredible change," responded Rep. Joe Mullery, DFL-Minneapolis.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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