state + local

Dayton needs to decide which side he's on: the side of law abiding citizens, or the side of criminals. This is a bipartisan bill, and dozens of other states have such laws already with NO PROBLEMS. As with the Personal Protection Act, NONE of the claimed problems have happened. And this law will also result in no problems. Citizens who are forced to shoot criminals need protection from overzealous prosecuters and from victim's families who often sue the victim who had to shoot the criminal. Dayton should sign this law.

Why is the Republican-lead legislature WASTING their time (and our money) on bills like this? Who does it help? Was there really a big problem with people defending themselves in their homes and then getting charged with a crime? One thing this bill does do is practically guarantee that any criminal who commits a violent crime in a hotel room, house, boat or car will claim that it was JUST SELF-DEFENSE. And now law enforcement will have to waste lots of time and money proving it isn't. Dayton should veto this wasteful idiocy, and Republicans should actually think things through before proposing new laws.

All the cops who were quoted whining in this article, as well as all the cops who are members of their whining organizations should turn in their badges and guns immediately!

I have managed somehow to live to be 64, and believe me, I've been in some "unsavory" situations. In all these years, I have never once been in a situation where a firearm would have been needed. Maybe I've lead a charmed life, but I have no need nor use for a firearm. Perhaps people whom repeatedly find themselves needing one, should take a look at where they go, and why. Leave it alone.

Veto this bill Gov, Dayton. When are the cons going to work on jobs, new revenue and jobs? GOP lay off the cons pet projects and legislate for the good of the majority of all people not a select few.

The Associated Press (author of the article) and the Star Tribune are showing that they are nothing but puppets of the Brady Campaign. This Bill does nothing but restore Second Amendment protections to law abiding citizens of this nation when in Minnesota. Duty to retreat is in play under our current laws - #2 criteria in protecting yourself in anyway that may harm, injure or kill an assailant is that you must not be able to retreat. This bill says as citizens we may now focus on our survival rather than our dodge ball techniques. The other two parts of the bill have nothing to do with "killing people": One is that we will allow people that have jumped through the hoops to get a permit in another state will have their permits required in Minnesota - Many other states already have this, and they have not experienced any issues; and the final part says that the government can not come through and take firearms away from people like was done following Katrina in New Orleans. The only people that have anything to fear from this Bill are criminals that are looking to do harm to law abiding citizens. Next week the House will pass this Bill again, and then Gov. Dayton will have it in his hands. He can allow Minnesotans to participate in their constitutionally protected rights, or he can go offend over 80,000 permit holders, and their families, friends and supporters that support the right to carry but chose not to get a permit.

endotherm-well said. Like the ridiculous voter ID issue, this idea has the potential to cause FAR more harm than good. Frankly, it's embarrassing. It's like I went to bed and woke up in the 6th district. It's like 'Minnesota' has become the answer to one of those 'you might be a redneck if ...' quips.

The people down in Florida heard the same arguments about Old West style shoot outs and the death rate exploding through the roof. Funny thing happened after it was passed, the violent crime rate dropped way down. Beat Mn will see the same results that other states have seen. The anti gun people know that this will weaken their argument and that is why they are trying so hard to stop this. Remember, the police only show up to take the report after the damage has already been done.

I love how the STRIB continues to cast this personal protection bill as a "DEADLY Force" bill, so to frighten the credulous sheeple. And the bill's opponents continue to wail the same "Oh noes, there will be blood in the streets!" rubbish they were blubbering about back when the pistol carry bill was passed. Instead of overwrought emotional speculation, I'd just for once, like to see the opponents produce ANY hard statistics (not grasping, tenuously-related isolated incidents, not even statistically relevant, at that) of ANY such problems in ANY of the *several* other states with similar provisions. Bueller? Bueller? Yeah,... didn't think so. Just sign the bill, hey Mark.

Where did the job creation work go? What does this have to do with what's important right now?