The last election cycle left the DFL in complete control of Minnesota’s government. As the next legislative session begins, the legislature can be expected that they will target the last vestige of conservatism in the state: gun rights.

Over the last decade, more and more states have eased laws restricting access to guns and firearm carry permits. States with the most restrictive gun laws continue have greater rates of crimes involving guns. It is unclear if these laws are due to the prevalence of gun violence each state or if these laws cause an increase in gun violence. Either way, there has been no evidence that more restrictive gun laws keep guns out of criminals’ hands.

Restrictive gun laws fly in the face of the U.S. constitution and only serve to keep guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens. A push by Minnesota Democrats to put in place more restrictive gun control laws would not help deal with the pressing issues in our state. The move would be an appeal to their party’s base. The DFL (Democrat Farmer Labor Party) should focus more on how to deal with our ever growing healthcare and tuition costs that are putting a stranglehold on our economy.

Minnesotans should stand strong to protect their constitutional right to bear arms. Money will be pouring in from outside sources such as Bloomberg’s Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The name alone should make you cringe. They act as if they are fighting illegal guns when they are targeting law-abiding gun owners exercising their Second Amendment rights.

Commonsense gun control measures such as background checks and short waiting periods may be acceptable. No one would suggest arming felons is a good idea and a system is in place to keep guns out of their hands. Bloomberg’s group is more concerned about banning guns that look scary than making the current process of background checks more efficient and reliable.