Straw gun purchase bill shows agreement, friction between MN legislators

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A gun control drama played out at the Minnesota Capitol on Thursday when a rare agreement caused friction.

A straw gun purchases punishment bill was good enough for both parties, but they’re fighting over who gets credit and how it moves forward. The agreement was so strong, that a bill from a Senate Democrat matched a year-old Republican bill word-for-word.

Republicans didn’t like that, but a corresponding bill in the House might explain why Democrats wanted their own bill.

Strengthening punishments for straw gun purchases took on new importance at the Capitol after the catastrophe in Burnsville last month.

"This motion is urgent because three men are dead," said Sen. Julia Coleman (R-Waconia).

Coleman invoked the names of Paul Elmstrand, Matthew Ruge, and Adam Finseth as she tried and failed to force a vote Thursday on her straw purchases bill from last year.

The killer in Burnsville was banned from owning firearms, but court documents indicate a girlfriend bought him several.

Democratic Sen. Heather Gustafson cloned Coleman’s bill and introduced it Thursday.

She told us she’s in a better position to negotiate its passage through committees and a state House dominated by Democrats.

"One concern I might have is, 'Is she willing to work with the House language that comes over?'" said Sen. Gustafson (DFL-Vadnais Heights).

One big difference between the bills also had a spotlight on it Thursday.

In a House public safety committee hearing, Republicans asked Rep. Kaela Berg why her bill also includes a ban on binary triggers, those that fire a weapon when the trigger is pulled and when it’s released.

"The two are related, as we saw from the incident in my community," said Rep. Berg, DFL-Burnsville.

Court documents indicate law enforcement thought the Burnsville shooter had an automatic weapon because he was using a binary trigger.

House Republicans were not thrilled with that ban, preferring their own, more limited restrictions.

Sen. Coleman shared her frustrations with the cloning of her bill, but ultimately agreed she'd vote for the identical, DFL-authored bill.

"I would support anything that would be able to prevent a tragedy like this," she said.

The House bill went through committee Thursday and the Senate bill, the new one, gets its first hearing Friday.