>> MARY: GUN STRAW PURCHASES, SCHOOL POLICE OFFICERS, AND A LOOK AHEAD FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT THIS SESSION, THE HOUSE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE REPUBLICAN LEAD, PAUL NOVOTNY.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, REPRESENTATIVE.

LET'S TALK ABOUT, I THINK WHAT EMERGED REALLY AS THE BIGGEST GUN ISSUE WE DIDN'T SEE COMING NECESSARILY THIS SESSION ON STRAW PURCHASES, SOMETHING REPUBLICANS HAVE TALKED ABOUT AND SPONSORED BILLS, DEMOCRATS ARE NOW INTERESTED.

LET'S TALK ABOUT WHY.

>> WE'VE HAD THE BILL, REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT HAS HAD THE BILL SINCE 2019.

WE HAD IT ADDED ON TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY OMNIBUS BILL LAST SESSION -- >> Mary: IT GOT UT OF THE HOUSE.

>> GOT OUT OF THE HOUSE, MADE IT TO CONFERENCE COMMITTEE, WAS DROPPED FROM THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE.

WE DON'T KNOW WHY, I WISH I COULD TELL YOU BUT THERE WAS NO REPUBLICANS, IF YOU REMEMBER, ON THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEES.

>> Mary: DID YOU VOTE FOR THE BILL, THOUGH?

SOMETIMES THAT HELPS, YOU GET ON THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE.

>> I DID NOT, BECAUSE WE WEREN'T INCLUDED AND I HAD NO CONTRIBUTION TO THE BILL SO NO, E DID NOT VOTE FOR IT.

>> Mary: SO WHAT ABOUT THIS TIME AROUND?

ARE REPUBLICANS GOING TO BE VOTING FOR IT, DOES IT HAVE TO STAY SEPARATE OR FIT ETS ROLLED IN WITH OTHER THINGS OR INTO OMNIBUS -- >> THE ISSUE STAYS THE SAME.

I HOPE THEY BRING IT OUT AS A STAND-ALONE BILL, I WOULD LIKE TO GET IT SIGNED INTO LAW AS SOON AS WE CAN.

KEEP IN MIND WE TRIED TO DO IT AS AN URGENCY AS SOON AS WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THE SITUATION WITH THE TRAGIC MURDER OF THE THREE OFFICERS IN BURNSVILLE.

>> Mary: THAT'S WHAT FORCED HAD ISSUE, ONCE WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THE ALLEGED ASSSAILANT THERE, YEAH.

>> WE TRIED TO DO THE URGENCY AND THE SAME DFL MEMBERS THAT VOTED AGAINST IT LAST YEAR SO THAT IT COULD BE INCLUDED IN THE OMNIBUS BILL BLOCKED IT FROM BEING HEARD.

>> Mary: COULD THAT BE A CAMPAIGN ISSUE?

>> I -- THAT'S UP TO THEM.

>> Mary: WHAT DO YOU THINK, THOUGH, WOULD THAT BEING FAIR GAME ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, YOU WERE AGAINST IT BEFORE YOU WERE BEFORE IT?

>> WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ON THE BILL -- WE COULD HAVE HAD IT ON THE FLOOR THAT DAY, WE COULD HAVE GOT IT OUT, GOT IT TO THE SENATE, WE COULD HAVE MADE IT LAW VERY QUICKLY.

IT HAS BEEN CLONED AND IT HAS BEEN REINTRODUCED AND ADDED TO A DIFFERENT BILL FROM THE DFL REPRESENTATIVE AND WE HEARD IT IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY LAST WEEK.

>> Mary: SENATOR COLEMAN WAS REALLY MAD OVER IN THE OTHER CHAMBER ABOUT THE CLONING, ESKOLA AND I WHO HAVE BEEN AROUND FOREVER, IT MEANS YOUR ISSUE MIGHT ACTUALLY HAPPEN.

I KNOW THE MEMBERS OF THE MINIMUM NORTH DON'T LIKE IT BUT IF THE MAJORITY MEMBER MIGHT MAKE IT SUCCESSFUL.

>> I SAID IN THE PRESS CONFERENCE WE HAD, I'M NOT CONCERNED ABOUT WHO GETS THE CREDIT, I THINK IT WILL MAKE MINNESOTANS SAFER.

IT'S UNFORTUNATE WE DIDN'T DO IT LAST SESSION AND IT WASN'T LAW ALREADY.

THERE ARE SOME PROVISIONS THAT THEY'VE ADDED INTO THE BILL IN ADDITION TO THE CLONED LANGUAGE FROM REPRESENTATIVE SCOTT.

WE HAVE LOOKED AT THE REPORTING AND I'M IN FAVOR OF THAT BECAUSE I THINK WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.

>> Mary: IS THIS THE AUTOMATIC WEAPON ASPECT THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, THAT WAS IN IT?

>> THE TRIGGER ISSUE, IF YOU -- >> Mary: CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT?

YOU WERE A FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR IN TOP OF BEING LAW ENFORCEMENT SO YOU ACTUALLY UNDERSTAND THE MECHANICS HERE, RIGHT?

>> YES, GLOCK ARMOUR AND THE LANGUAGE THAT THEY HAVE RIGHT NOW IN THE BILL, THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT BINARY TRIGGERS AND THE LANGUAGE THAT THEY HAVE IS NOT ABOUT BINARY TRIGGERS.

THE LANGUAGE THEY HAVE WOULD MAKE MOST MODERN SPORTING WEAPONS DEFINED BY MINNESOTA STATE STATUTE -- >> Mary: AND YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT.

>> THAT'S A BIG PROBLEM.

>> Mary: AND IS IT A PROBLEM STATEWIDE BECAUSE THIS IS STATEWIDE PROGRAM, MINNESOTANS DO LIKE THEIR GUNS.

THIS IS A COMPLICATED ISSUE.

WE'VE HAD I SENATE DFL FOR MANY, MANY YEARS THAT WAS QUITE PRO GUN AND A LOT OF RURAL DEMOCRATS ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE ARE MORE OF THEM HERE, IT'S A COME INDICATED - ISSUE IN OUR STATE, RIGHT?

IT'S NOT BLACK AND WHITE.

>> YEAH, AND THE BIG CONCERN I HAVE IS THAT THIS CHANGE IN WORDS WOULD MAKE A WHOLE BUNCH OF GUNS THAT THEY DON'T CLAIM TO BE TARGETING, TARGET.

>> Mary: LET'S TALK ABOUT YOU'VE BEEN HERE SINCE 2020.

SO YOU'VE SEEN THIS KIND OF TRAJECTORY FROM GEORGE FLOYD'S KILLING, LAW ENFORCEMENT KIND OF AT THEIR WORST TO NOW THE BURNSVILLE TRAGEDY, PEOPLE SEEPING LAW ENFORCEMENT KIND OF AT THEIR BEST, FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT.

GIVE US A PERSPECTIVE ON WHAT YOU'VE SEEN ON KIND OF THIS FULL CIRCLE OOD HERE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT.

>> RIGHT NOW, WE'RE -- I CONSIDER IT A CRISIS, IF WE'RE NOT THERE ALREADY, WE WILL BE VERY SHORTLY.

WE'RE ALREADY SEVERAL THOUSAND OFFICERS SHORT IN THIS STATE.

>> Mary: DEMOCRATS SAY THEY PUT MONEY IN IT, IS THAT SHOWING UP -- >> WHICH MONEY?

THEY DID $300 MILLION THAT WAS VERY RESTRICTIVE IN WHAT IT COULD BE USED FOR.

>> Mary: MORE MONEY, MORE POLICY, HOW HOW DO YOU GET MORE OFFICERS?

>> MINNESOTA POLICE AND PEACE OFFICER ASSOCIATION RELEASED A SURVEY THEY DID AND THIS WAS BEFORE THE BURNSVILLE TRAGEDY.

THIS WAS FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR AND THEY REPORTED A COUPLE OF THINGS FROM THEIR RANK AND FILE MEMBERS THAT ARE VERY CONCERNING, ONLY.

>> Mary: WE ARE OUT