GOCRA Briefing: Capitol Carry Notification

House File 372 (Nash)/Senate File 953 (Ingebrigtsen) eliminates an outdated paperwork requirement that exposes permit holders to an inadvertent felony charge while costing the state money for no reason.

1974

Following a wave of gun control legislation around the country, Minnesota passes a new ban on the carry of pistols in public places.

Individuals wishing to carry must apply for a “may issue” carry permit, at the discretion of their local police chiefs or sheriffs. These permits are issued directly by the local departments, which hold the only record of these permits.[1]

1994

There have been zero cases of carry permit holders causing trouble at the Capitol for the last 20 years.

Rep. Jim Rhodes gets a call from his mother, who worries that Capitol Security has no idea who these permit holders are.

Rhodes introduces a floor amendment[2] that would require these permit holders to notify the Department of Public Safety of their permit status (once) before entering any building in the “Capitol Area.”[3] The Capitol Area is well over the size of 100 city blocks, stretching from five blocks north of University Avenue to the Minnesota History Center.[4]

2003

There have still been zero cases of carry permit holders causing trouble at the Capitol in the last 29 years.

The Minnesota Citizens Personal Protection Act is passed[5]. It requires sheriffs to electronically submit all permit holder data to the Commissioner of Public Safety, who was required to create a statewide, 24/7 database of carry permits held[6]. The legislature appropriated $1.2 million[7] to the DPS budget to implement this and other provisions.

2015

There have still been zero cases of carry permit holders causing trouble at the Capitol in the last 41 years.

Permit holders are still required by law to send redundant notification, causing redundant paperwork for DPS staff, and not serving any public safety purpose.

Failing to notice and follow this redundant law and follow the pointless, redundant paperwork steps exposes otherwise law-abiding Minnesotans to felony charges if they enter the Transportation Building, the Capitol, or even the Minnesota History Center, all part of the “Capitol Area” defined in the law.

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[1] 1974 Minnesota Session Laws,  CHAPTER 378-H.F.No. 679 (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/?year=1975&type=0&doctype=Chapter&id=378)

[2] Journal of the House, April 14, 1994, line 7122 (http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/cco/journals/1994/Journal414.txt)

[3] 1994 Minnesota Session Laws,  CHAPTER 636-H.F.No. 2351 (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/?id=636&year=1994&type=0)

[4] See a visualization of this area at http://tinyurl.com/capitol-area

[5] 2003 Minnesota Session Laws,  CHAPTER 28-S.F.No. 842 (https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/laws/?id=28&doctype=Chapter&year=2003&type=0)

[6] Ibid, Article 2, Sec. 20

[7] Ibid, Article 2, Sec. 31