Minnesota's political scene will be dominated this week by the recent, very controversial debate over gun control. According to TwinCities.com, it starts Monday, Feb. 4, with President Barack Obama's visit to Minneapolis to talk about the issue, followed by a series of legislative hearings at the state Capitol to vet nearly a dozen proposals, including banning high-capacity ammunition magazines and tightening background checks for gun buyers.
Minneapolis has seen several gun-related deaths in the past couple of years including, the tragic death of Nizzel George, 5, who was fatally shot in a gang dispute while he slept on a couch in his grandmother's home last , the death of 3-year-old Terrell Lamont Mays Jr., who was killed in a north Minneapolis home by a stray bullet more than a year ago, and the death of six people killed at Accent Signage Systems less than five months ago by an employee who had just been fired. Family members and friends of these victims were in attendance for the President's speech.
What are Minnesotan's views on the gun control debate? According to TwinCities.com, politicians, gun enthusiasts and gun-control advocates have taken various sides on President Barack Obama's gun-control proposals. Obama asserted that law enforcement leaders are the most important group in the fraught and emotional gun debate. "They are where the rubber hits the road," he said and that a consensus among police chiefs and sheriffs could influence wavering lawmakers.
The Minnesotan's that don't support new gun laws gathered together and packed the steps in front of the Capitol to send a message to lawmakers at home and in Washington according to TwinCities.com. Many supporters said they felt new regulations would punish law-abiding citizens because criminals don't obey current guns laws and won't obey future laws.
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