Friday, May 3, 2013
The St. Louis Park High student and son of the slain Accent Signage owner accused DFL leaders of siding with the National Rifle Association.
Sami Rahamim, a St. Louis Park High student and the son of slain Accent Signage owner Reuven Rahamim, is among a group of gun control advocates that is criticizing the DFL for stalling on gun control legislation. Advocates visited the Capitol on Friday to criticize House Speaker Paul Thissen and other DFL leaders for not allowing on the floor a bill that would expand gun background checks to private sales. Said Rahamim: It seems to me that Speaker Thissen is trying to protect the caucus. But after he and Majority Leader (Erin) Murphy looked me in the eye, after I looked them in the eye and told them my story of gun violence, I think it’s fair for me to look them in the eyes now and ask them if it’s the caucus that really needs protecting …
Friday, March 22, 2013
The District 46 legislator, who represents Hopkins and St. Louis Park, voted in favor of a proposal to tighten gun control measures Thursday.
Hopkins and St. Louis Park Rep. Steve Simon was among the 10 legislators in the House Public Safety Committee on Thursday who advanced a bill that would require background checks for private sales at gun shows. The committee passed the bill on a mostly party line vote—although Rep. John Ward, a Baxter DFLer, voted with Republicans against the bill. The bill also contains The bill does not require universal background checks on gun sales because the idea did not have enough supporters on the committee. However, the Senate version of the bill requires universal background checks and an amendment is likely to be offered on the House floor. The bill also contains less-controversial measures to keep guns away from people who shouldn’t have them…
Friday, March 15, 2013
The bill would require background checks for most gun sales and broaden the definition of who can’t own guns—among other changes.
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday split on a party-line vote in approving a bill that contains key gun control provisions pushed by District 46 Sen. Ron Latz. The bill would change gun laws to: The approval of the Judiciary Committee—on which Latz is the chairman—follows days of gun control debate in the committee. Critics argued that background checks are overly inconvenient and that they won’t keep guns out of the hands of criminals, who won’t submit to background checks anyway. Latz—whose district includes Golden Valley, Hopkins, Plymouth and St. Louis Park—countered that it’s just a minor inconvenience and that his intent isn’t to stop gun sales or track who has firearms. “It simply proposes to provide what I would term a very…
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Mike Freeman appears in his latest Justice Minute video.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Wednesday, March 13
Editor's Note: The following was taken from a Hennepin County Attorney's Office newsletter. The issue of preventing gun violence is very personal for me, as it is for many of you. I recently recorded a video to talk about some of the ways we're working to address this problem at the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. I hope you watch it and share your thoughts. -- Mike Freeman *** Related: Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek endorsed legislation to reduce gun violence last week.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison hasn’t received any contributions from the gun rights group, but others in Minnesota's congressional delegation have gotten thousands of dollars.
The Sandy Hook school shooting may have added new fuel to the gun control debate, but advocacy groups have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to federal legislators since 2009, according to a report released Friday. Nonpartisan research organization MapLight, in coordination with Tableau Software, compiled contribution totals for the leading advocacy groups in the gun control debate—the National Rifle Association and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The NRA’s Political Action Committee dwarfs the Brady Campaign’s in terms of contributions to legislators. It gave about $1.5 million to legislators compared to the Brady Campaign’s $5,900. In Minnesota, the NRA gave nearly $30,000 to legislators—ranking the state 20th in NRA …
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek joined lawmakers and Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association at the Capitol Wednesday.
- GOVERNMENT
-
Thursday, March 7
Editor's Note: The following is a Hennepin County Sheriff's Office press release. Wednesday, Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek and the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association announced support for state legislation that would improve public safety by strengthening gun background checks and increasing punishments for repeat offenders. Sheriff Stanek and Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association Executive Director Jim Franklin joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers at the State Capitol in St. Paul to support the legislation authored by State Representative Debra Hilstrom of Brooklyn Center. The proposal would improve data sharing by providing the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) with the most current, accurate and complete …
Thursday, February 28, 2013
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office releases its February newsletter.
- POLICE & FIRE
-
Thursday, February 28
Editor's Note: The following is a Hennepin County Sheriff's Office release. On Feb. 25, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the future site of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office 911 Emergency Communications Facility in Plymouth. The new facility will ensure uninterrupted service for 911 calls, radio dispatch, and technical services. To begin digging with ceremonial shovels, Sheriff Rich Stanek was joined by Plymouth Mayor Kelli Slavik, Hennepin County Administrator David Hough, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Mike Carlson, and Hennepin County Commissioners Jan Callison and Linda Higgins Jeff Johnson. The groundbreaking ceremony took place at the construction site in Plymouth near the county’s Adult Corrections Facility…
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Barackobama.com sent out a letter from Sami Rahamim last week. In it, Rahamim asks for people to type their 20-word gun violence story into a form.
Since his father was killed in September 2012 at Accent Signage in Minneapolis, Sami Rahamim has become a vocal advocate for gun control. Last week, Organizing for Action, formerly known as Obama for America, sent out an email with a letter from Rahamim. Here is the text of the email: My dad, Reuven Rahamim, was killed this past September in a mass shooting. I was 17 years old, one of 15 children who lost a parent that day. I'm honoring his memory—and those of many others who have fallen—by doing something about gun violence. Whether you've been personally affected by gun violence or not, you need to be part of this fight, too. Share your story: Why are you in this? Since my dad's death, I've learned that my family's experience is not as …
Sunday, February 24, 2013
District 46 Sen. Ron Latz oversaw a 4 ½-hour-long hearing on the subject Friday.
District 46 Sen. Ron Latz’s position as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee gave him a prominent seat at the table as chamber took up gun legislation last week. That discussion capped off with a 4 ½-hour-long hearing Friday about the proposals. As Latz promised a week ago, the committee did not consider proposals to ban assault weapons or limit magazine sizes. Check out the hearing and share your thoughts in the comments below.
Monday, February 18, 2013
The District 46 Legislator and head of the Senate Judiciary Committee plans to focus on background checks and ‘loopholes.’
Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-District 46) said this week’s hearings on gun-control legislation will not cover a proposed ban on assault weapons or limits on magazine sizes. The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman─whose district includes Golden Valley, Hopkins, Plymouth and St. Louis Park-─said universal background checks will most likely lead the discussion. “I think most people agree that universal background checks is the first place we should start. We need to focus on what we can accomplish right now to make our state safer,” a news release quoted Latz. “The outright banning of guns is a conversation that is more suited on the federal level.” Latz’s committee plans two days of hearings on the proposed legislation, starting Thursday. Unlike …
Gerald Mortenson
12:15 pm on Saturday, March 23, 2013
Background checks are done now at gun shows. Peace Officers are on site and ID' are checked. Saying school children can purchase firearms by pitching their linch money up on the tables is absurd. more ›