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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Sad to celebrate guns On April 28, the supporters of the conceal and carry gun law had a one-year anniversary party of the law at the state Capitol. Some of the signs they had were insensitive and offensive to the victims of violent crime. One sign read, "It's a shame Dru Sjodin didn't have a concealed carry weapon." They are implying that the victim should have been armed and the tragedy would not have occurred. Violent crime will not be reduced by having laws that introduce more guns into society. I found it sad that some...

A right-to-carry law has never been repealed in any state. And the reason is very simple - it works! - Joe Olson Watch the video

Berkovitz trial will hinge on premeditation Margaret Zack, Star Tribune April 28, 2004 Susan Berkovitz didn't plan the killing of one person and the wounding of another in the Hennepin County Government Center in September, her attorney told a jury Tuesday. Diana Lugo, a public defender representing Berkovitz, said in her opening statement that the state has to prove that not only did Berkovitz pull the trigger but that she had premeditated the crime. On Tuesday, the prosecution began laying out its evidence of premeditation -- a key element of the first-degree murder charge against Berkovitz in the death of...

Gun law reaches one-year mark by Tom Scheck, Minnesota Public Radio April 28, 2004 Gun rights supporters celebrated the one year anniversary of the passage of the "concealed carry" law at the Capitol Wednesday. The law requires local sheriffs to issue handgun permits to any law abiding adult. But requests for permits have fallen far short of the 50,000 projected by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The BCA says 15,677 permits were issued from late May until December 2003. Opponents say the law is still dangerous, no matter how many permits have been issued. St. Paul, Minn. - About...

OF THE PEOPLE: Gun law turns 1 year old BY JIM RAGSDALE Pioneer Press David Haagensen drives to work with his gun on the seat next to him, and he says it came in handy one night a few weeks ago. Haagensen, attending one of two competing events Wednesday that commemorated the passage of the state's new gun law, said he foiled an attempted carjacking as he was on his way to work the late shift at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. "I pointed it at his head, because he was trying to open my locked door, and he was...

Conceal-carry law: The sky didn't fall PAT PARISEAU When the Legislature passed and the governor signed into law the Minnesota Citizen's Personal Protection Act last year, we sent a strong message that the rights of responsible, law-abiding citizens should be respected. We also sent another strong message, one that is consistently overlooked in news reports and by opponents of the Personal Protection Act. That message is that if a person abuses his or her rights, there will be swift and severe consequences. The Personal Protection Act respects the rights of law-abiding citizens by making the system for issuing permits to...

Minnesota's gun law sparks rallies Conrad Defiebre, Star Tribune April 29 One year after the passage of Minnesota's new handgun law, the deep divisions that remain over it were on display in dueling rallies Wednesday on the State Capitol steps. As about 200 mostly male gun-rights enthusiasts enjoyed birthday cake on the upper steps and 75 of their largely female opponents gathered a short distance below, the only potshots were verbal. But, in a controversy rich in sloganeering, they came at a rapid-fire pace. "The Sky Didn't Fall" read a placard held up by gun-rights master of ceremonies Joel Rosenberg...

Press Release Source: Concealed Carry Reform Now Rally to Celebrate One Year of Shall-Issue Gun PermitsMonday April 26, 12:55 pm ET MINNEAPOLIS, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Civil rights supporters will rally on the steps of the Minnesota State Capitol on April 28 at noon to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Minnesota Citizens Personal Protection Act, better known as the "MCPPA." The rally, sponsored by Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance (GOCRA) and its Concealed Carry Reform Now (CCRN) division, will feature speeches from Rep. Lynda Boudreau (R-Faribault) and Sen. Pat Pariseau (R-Farmington), authors of the House and Senate versions...

The initiative to make a difference By Blair Reynolds Sun Newspapers (Created 4/8/04 10:46:16 AM) The groundwork for a more peaceful tomorrow is being laid at Convent of Visitation High School. Four students from the Mendota Heights private school are leading the way to promote safety and peace on campus and in the community. As members of Key Club, a community service organization sponsored by the school, juniors Chelsea Hernandez, Courtney Moosbrugger, Kristen Lynn and sophomore Nellie Nakasone took the initiative to begin a sub-committee of the club that promotes awareness of hot-button issues to students. With the help of...

There's little rush for Minnesota's gun permits Matt Mckinney and Ron Nixon, Star Tribune April 11, 2004 A new law that made it easier for most Minnesotans to carry a handgun in public has drawn far less interest than the Legislature projected a year ago. With just a month to go until the first anniversary of the Personal Protection Act of 2003, less than half of the estimated 50,000 people who were expected to apply in the first year for a right-to-carry permit have done so. Of the 17,325 people who have been issued permits, according to state records released...

In Traverse County, guns are a part of life Matt Mckinney and Ron Nixon, Star Tribune April 11, 2004 WHEATON, Minn. -- Locals call it the land of ducks, but Traverse County on the western border of Minnesota earned another distinction in the past year: It has the highest rate of conceal-and-carry permits than any of the state's other 86 counties. "That doesn't surprise me," said businessman Bruce Hinsverk on a recent afternoon in Wheaton, population 1,750, the county seat. Hinsverk owns Bruce's TV & Appliance on Wheaton's main street. "I'm just filling out my paperwork for a permit now,"...

It's Time to Celebrate It's time to celebrate. April 28th 2004 is the first anniversary of the final passage and signing into law of the Minnesota Citizens Personal Protection Act. It's time to celebrate.  There'll be a cake. With the upcoming elections in November, this is a terrific opportunity to take the message to the Capitol and to the press that the MCPPA has been a huge success -- and that opposing had a huge political cost.  We'll be gathering on the steps of the Capitol at noon, again, on April 28th.  Please be there, and bring friends and children. ...

Moms on the assault GUNS:Local women will join the Million Mom March to urge the government to renew and strengthen the assault weapon ban. BY BAIRD HELGESON NEWS TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER Joan Peterson never expected to be a gun-control crusader. She's a mother, a wife and speech pathologist for the Duluth public schools. But the debate came to her in 1992. On Aug. 6, that year, police found the bodies of Peterson's sister, Barbara Lund, and her companion in Lund's Minnetonka, Minn., home. The two had been shot to death by Lund's estranged husband, Russell Lund. He killed himself later...

Mindworks: Kids' views on guns Maria Elena Baca, Star Tribune March 28, 2004 Last September, Mindworks asked students for their opinions about the conceal and carry law. Less than two weeks after students mailed in their responses, Jason McLaughlin, a 15-year-old student at Rocori High School in Cold Spring, Minn., allegedly shot and killed two fellow students, Aaron Rollins and Seth Bartell. McLaughlin's case has not been linked to the law adopted last spring. Still, respecting the rawness of the grief in Cold Spring and statewide at the time, that installment of Mindworks was postponed with a promise that the...

Doug Grow: Is DFL losing grip on reality? Doug Grow, Star Tribune March 18, 2004 Oh, those wild-and-crazy DFLers. They've come up with a parody of the sleazy political ads that pollute the airwaves and cheapen political discourse. In this knee-slapping TV DFL satire, they've got a closeup of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's eyes watching as Minnesota streets are filled with sexual predators. What? Not a parody? The DFLers were so serious they held a news conference Tuesday to unveil the 30-second spot that is supposed to show that Pawlenty is responsible for sexual predators being freed, presumably to rape and...

Church ban on guns allowed BY BILL GARDNER Pioneer Press In a victory for churches fighting Minnesota's handgun permit law, a Hennepin County judge ruled Tuesday that churches can ban guns in their parking lots and day-care facilities as well as the church building. Hennepin County District Judge Marilyn Rosenbaum ruled that the handgun permit law infringes upon the churches' "free exercise of religion as guaranteed by the Minnesota Constitution." "This is a big win today," said David Lillehaug, attorney for dozens of churches that joined together as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Rosenbaum granted the churches' request for a temporary...

Non-profits sue to overturn gun law by Laura McCallum, Minnesota Public Radio March 15, 2004 Molly Greenman, president of Family and Children's Service, says her agency helps many victims of abuse. She says her organization objects to having to post signs at the door to ban guns. (MPR Photo/Laura McCallum) Five non-profit agencies have filed suit to throw out Minnesota's concealed handgun law. The law, which passed last year, requires sheriffs to issue concealed weapons permits to mentally-competent adults who pass a background check and go through training. The groups say the law violates their rights to operate their property...

JOE SOUCHERAY: Opposition to weapon law comes from the 'permit' part JOE SOUCHERAY It keeps the likes of Arne Carlson and Walter Mondale in the news when they are championed as leaders of the repeal movement. That would be the movement to repeal the Personal Protection Act, or the right to carry a weapon. Meanwhile, gang warfare has broken out and shots are getting fired between rivals for minor insults that parody Chamber of Commerce boasts. What Mondale and Carlson should be leading is a movement to enroll arrested gang members in gun safety and training courses, where the bangers...

Concealed handguns in Minnesota: 15,000 permits in first 7 months Associated Press Published March 2, 2004 More than 15,000 people applied for permits to carry concealed handguns in Minnesota in the first seven months after the state made them easier to get. Of 15,873 who applied for the permits in 2003, 139 were denied, according to a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension report released Monday. Another 20 permits were suspended, revoked or canceled. In three cases, they were taken away because permit carriers were under the influence of alcohol. In two other cases, holders were under restraining orders for stalking or...

MINNESOTA: Gun law foes work for repeal BY LISA DONOVAN Pioneer Press The pro-gun and anti-gun folks have a deep and defined line in the sand, but on this much they can agree: There is little chance that the state's new liberalized handgun law will be repealed. It's been nine months and more than 15,000 permits have been issued since the new law passed, and opponents can't point to widespread trouble because of it. Nor can supporters say that public safety has improved markedly. During the last legislative session, before Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed the gun bill into law, the...