Posted 4/11/01 Senate Committee rejects concealed carry legislation by T.W. Budig ECM capitol reporter The Senate Crime Prevention Committee last Friday (April 6) rejected so-called concealed carry legislation that would have made applying for a permit to carry a handgun an administrative process. ìAre we going to be a magnet state (for crime) while we reject our lawful rights,î said Sen Pat Pariseau, R, Farmington, author of the Minnesota Citizens Personal Protection Act of 2001. Some 31 states have already adopted ìshall issueî handgun permit processes and FBI data shows that in those states crime has fallen, said Pariseau. That means either the criminals have changed their criminal behavior or have moved to states without ìshall issueî concealed carry law, Pariseau explained. Critics of Minnesotaís current concealed carry permit process argue that itís unfair ñ some police chiefs never issue concealed carry permits while others issue permits freely. Because statewide data on the number of permits issued to the number of requests rejected is not collected, no one knows what the ratio is, said Pariseau. Under her legislation, people applying for a concealed carry permit would need to undergo background checks, gun training, and renew their permit every three years. Permit holders who commit a crime using a gun would receive a 125 percent penalty compared to a non-permitted person convicted of the same crime, she explained. Sheriffs could still reject applicants, but would need to put their reason in writing. Pariseau said her legislation, rather than loosening Minne-sotaís current concealed carry laws, actually tightens them. She didnít believe passage of the bill would spark a rush for concealed carry permits. She suggested that the number of people seeking permits wouldnít be any higher than now. But legislation opponents as well as supporters testified at the Senate committee. Jill Hein Nesvold, of the Minnesota Institute for Public Health, said people are 50 times more likely to get shot by their own gun in accidents or in suicides than they are likely to protect themselves with it. Concealed carry legislation could serve to make guns more accessible and therefore more likely to be misused, said Hein Nesvold. Several law enforcement associations opposed the legislation, which went to the House floor on April 9. ©Post Review