Posted 5/9/01 Senator Ring responds The process is confusing...even for us knee-deep in it. The concealed-carry weapon bill (The Personal Protection Act) is a case in point. I do not sit on the Crime Prevention Committee and had no chance to hear the lengthy debate there. The bill failed to pass out of the committee. When the author attempted to raise the bill on the floor, discussion revealed that when a bill is defeated in committee it is not raised on the floor. If it fails on a tie vote or if it never gets a hearing, thatís a different story. So I voted with the majority not to raise it on the floor. Last week, the Finance Committee chairman Sen. Doug Johnson announced about 10 minutes before Senate session ended and just preceding the committee meeting that the controversial amendment would be attached to Sen. Bob Lessardís shooting range bill. Again...no chance to hear from proponents and opponents from the PUBLIC on the issue in our committee. I took ěa walkî with DFL and Republican senators. I was sure that the bill would be heard this week in committee with a chance to hear from the general public. There is a 72-hour rule to put things on agendas around here, but apparently that rule is not always followed. Today (Monday) I was ready to hear public debate in Finance after what I thought was the appropriate timeline. But Iíve just been informed that the bill was pulled again. This is just as frustrating for me as for everyone else. Now, I will hear debate on the floor in some sort of maneuver yet to be announced by somebody. Iím certainly not ěon the insideî of the plan. Do I think law-abiding citizens should be able to own and carry guns? Sure. That said, Iíve made no secret that the bill that is currently before us (at least I think it's currently before us) has many weaknesses that must be addressed. I donít like it right now and I never said I liked it as this process began. Sen. Twyla Ring ©Post Review