Minnesota Lawyer
Rep. Michael Paymar, DFL-St. Paul, said Minnesota is one of about a dozen states that allow guns in the Capitol building. (Staff photo: Peter Bartz-Gallagher)
The Advisory Committee on Capitol Security held a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the legality of carrying guns in the Capitol. The hearing, the first of two on the topic, included a review of the statute allowing gun owners with a carry permit to bring their firearms into the Capitol, and eventually ranged into a debate about whether that allowance put legislators and citizens at risk.
At the suggestion of member Rep. Michael Paymar, DFL-St. Paul — who chairs the House Public Safety Committee — the panel brought in Department of Public Safety attorney Melissa Eberhart to make a presentation about the statute and take questions about its implementation. According to Eberhart, the law allowing permitted gun owners to be armed in the Capitol makes specific mention of handguns, while any other “dangerous weapon” or firearm would technically be barred.
The process for gaining access to the Capitol requires a permit holder to contact the Department of Public Safety or Capitol security to alert them that he or she will be visiting the Capitol, and will be armed. Gun owners typically attach a copy of their permit and drivers license, though that is not required, said State Patrol Lt. Robert Meyerson, who also noted that the permits that are submitted are not verified. Capitol security maintains a list of 832 gun owners who have been granted permission to carry in the building. That permission is granted in perpetuity, but an owner bringing a firearm into the Capitol after his or her permit lapses would constitute a felony.
Following the legal review, Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner-Solon and the committee’s legislative members engaged in a back-and-forth discussion about the topic, with Sen. Michelle Benson, R-Ham Lake, and Rep. Kelby Woodard, R-Belle Plaine, generally defending the idea of allowing the practice to continue. Woodard said a sign indicating guns were banned on the premises would not have stopped a gunman like the shooter who raided an elementary school in Newtown, Ct. last year.
Woodard went on to say the mere presence of firearms in the hands of responsible gun owners does not make a dangerous situation more likely.
“In fact,” Woodard said, “there’s a good argument that it decreases the likelihood of bad things happening.”
Paymar said his research had indicated that Minnesota was one of “12 or 13” states that allow firearms inside its Capitol, and said that figure should give the committee pause.
“We are clearly in the minority,” Paymar said.
For her part, Prettner-Solon referred to personal experience in her approach to the topic. At one point, discussing the possibility of a contentious debate among activists turning violent, Prettner-Solon said she had once seen a man shot and killed following a heated argument. She also disclosed that she had received direct threats from anonymous phone callers who told her they owned guns.
The committee is set to meet again and take public testimony on the topic on August 30, though Prettner-Solon said she did not expect to take any formal action on the issue during that hearing. Speaking to the Star Tribune later in the day, Gov. Mark Dayton sounded cool toward the prospect of changing the rules regarding guns at the Capitol, for reasons of expense as well as policy.
“At this point, is the threat greater than the financial or other burden?” Dayton asked. “At this point, I would say not.”
The Wednesday meeting also featured State Patrol Capt. Shelly Schrofer‘s overview of what Capitol security was doing with an additional $1.25 million in funds it received as part of the 2014-15 budget. Most of the money is being dedicated to adding personnel. Current plans call for the hiring of an emergency manager to help plan for the event of terrorist or criminal activity, as well as six new State Patrol officers to roam the Capitol complex. Two new state troopers were hired earlier this week, and Schrofer said she plans to hire two more in October, with the final two joining some time before January 1.
Schrofer told the committee that even with the six new positions, it is hard to set a schedule which would have at least one armed peace officer on the grounds at all time. Schrofer said she plans to schedule so that patrol members are on hand every day, “though not necessarily every hour.” In addition to the eight State Patrol officers, there are 31 full-time security guards on staff, with five more security positions currently open.
Asked by Woodard about staffing the new $90 million Senate office building, set to be completed in May 2015, Schrofer said the increased ground to cover might require the hiring of more guards or troopers.
“We will need some additional resources, I suspect, for staffing at that building,” Schrofer said.
The committee proceedings were complicated somewhat by the news that two of the members present, Paymar and Benson, seem not to have been reappointed by leadership. Benson told the committee that she had received a message indicating that her spot had been given to Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, while Rep. Carolyn Laine, DFL-Columbia Heights, had contacted Prettner-Solon just prior to the committee to say she believed House Speaker Paul Thissen had appointed her to take Paymar’s place. Paymar said he was unaware of the change.
Woodard pushed for the committee to delay its next planned hearing date of August 30, saying the confusion over membership warranted taking some time to sort out the situation. Prettner-Solon said she intended to keep the date as planned because the committee had already heard from a number of citizens who want to give public testimony on the issue of firearms in the Capitol.
