St. Paul, MN–Minnesota’s Star Tribune recently reported that the number of concealed carry permits in the state has nearly doubled since 2014.
The number of Minnesotans who can legally carry a gun is just over 300,000, coming in at 301,268. The sheriff’s association reported that more than 54,000 of those permits were new in 2019.
The biggest reason cited by gun owners? They’re worried that legislation from St. Paul will make it harder to purchase and own a gun down the road. Minnesota’s permits are good for five years, so they’re hoping to stave off trouble by getting their paperwork in order.
Now, these are great numbers to read, for sure. Gun owners are taking action, whether that be getting their concealed carry permits or getting involved in the political process and making their voices heard.
But while the anti-gun crowd doesn’t like these numbers, it’s not all cause for a celebration on our side, either.
Minnesota’s gun owners haven’t forgotten that even these permits represent the restriction of our gun rights! It is ridiculous that law-abiding citizens who meet the requirements to carry still have to fill out forms and pay fees in order to exercise their Second Amendment Rights. We don’t pay fees or fill out forms to speak our minds? Or when we want to go to church?
And yes, it’s true that Minnesota has a raving lunatic for a Governor, Democrat Tim Walz. But we can’t let Wacko Walz take all the blame for concern gun owners are feeling.
Why?
Here’s some gun-politics history to get everybody on the same page.
From 2015 to 2018, Minnesota Republicans controlled the House. In 2017 and 2018, Republicans controlled the House AND the Senate.
What did they do when they had both chambers of the legislature and weak-sauce Democratic governor Mark Dayton? Republicans didn’t even attempt to push pro-gun bills. Far worse, they killed both Constitutional Carry and Stand Your Ground bills before they ever got off the ground!
Republicans have controlled at least one chamber of the Minnesota legislature for the last six years, but have refused to pass life-saving Stand Your Ground or Constitutional Carry. In fact, they’ve refused to even try to pass it.
Republicans under Kurt Daudt in the House and Paul Gazelka in the Senate have killed Constitutional carry for the last five years in a row, starting in 2015 when Republicans took control of the House.
Why are Minnesota’s gun owners still having to deal with the red tape from St. Paul? Because of Republican cowards and sellouts.
Now that we’re all on the same page, what are Minnesota’s gun owners actually saying when they’re lining up for these permits? They’re saying they don’t trust the Republicans to defend their gun rights one iota. In fact, they’re expecting them to sell them out the instant the anti-gun crowd files a bad bill.
This is what happened in Virginia, and it will happen to Minnesota, too. If gun owners look the other way while Republicans fold, abandon their base, and head left…eventually the Republicans will lose their elections. After all, why would anybody lift a finger to vote for a Republican that’s a spineless coward who doesn’t fight for them and is a closet leftist?
Meanwhile, Mike Bloomberg is still pouring money into the state, helping finance anti-gun legislators.
The time is now, folks. Minnesotans, you’d better fight now, and fight hard, or you’ll be Virginia 2.0.