Posted 4/11/01 Sen. Ring addresses handgun legislation To the editor: Due to the crunch of Senate schedules, I am clearly unable to respond as quickly as I would like to every person or group that has called, written or emailed me recently about the permit-to-carry handgun legislation (Minnesota Citizens Personal Protection Act of 2001 (SF-1395)). I appreciate the opportunity to address the issue through this newspaper. I support the right to carry and feel we have plenty of laws currently on the books. That said, I did have some concerns about SF 1395. I wondered about taking the local police chiefs out of the mix of authority to grant permits. I wondered about ìexperienceî being able to replace ìtraining.î I wondered about the timelines in the bill. I wondered about the denial language. I think increasing the age for granting permits to 21 from 18 was a good idea. The training language in the proposed bill is excellent. And so, as with so many bills, there was room for debate and more information. However, as of today (Friday, April 6), the bill did not pass out of committee so I am unsure where it will go from here. I appreciate the input from everyone on the issue, whether for or against the proposed bill. Sen. Twyla Ring District 18 ©Post Review