A left-wing legislator in the Minnesota House of Representatives introduced a bill to ban the sale or transfer of semiautomatic firearms. Introduced on the first day of the 2024 legislative session, HF 3570 is authored by Rep. Leigh Finke, a transgender Democrat from St. Paul.
Under HF 3570, Minnesotans would be banned from selling or transferring a variety of different firearms. Among the guns that would be subject to restrictions is the AR-15 semiautomatic rifle.
Regarded as the most popular firearm in the country, AR-15 rifles “are the most commonly used rifles in marksmanship competitions, training, and home defense,” according to the NRA. Roughly 20 million AR-15 rifles are in circulation throughout the United States.
With dozens of other firearms being restricted under HF 3570, Rep. Finke’s bill is one of the most wide-reaching, anti-gun bills in Minnesota state history.
Specifically, HF 3570 would ban Minnesotans from participating in the “sale, gift, loan, assignment, or other delivery” of many commonly used firearms. A violation of the proposed law would result in a felony conviction with a penalty of a $25,000 fine, five years in prison, or both.
Furthermore, the bill appropriates an undisclosed amount of money to institute a buyback program for semiautomatic weapons. Under this program, citizens would be able to turn in their semiautomatic rifles to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and receive financial reimbursement for their guns.
In addition to appropriating an undisclosed amount of money for the buyback program, the proposed legislation says the provisions in the bill would take effect on Aug. 1, 2023. However, Minnesota has a constitutional prohibition against ex post facto laws: statutes that attempt to retroactively criminalize conduct that has already occurred.
Given this obvious error, HF 3570 appears to have been put together in a hasty manner without attention to detail.
Reps. Esther Agbaje, Alicia Kozlowski, Larry Kraft, and Samantha Sencer-Mura have signed on as co-authors to HF3570. Every co-author is a Democrat. State Sen. Jennifer McEwen, D-Duluth, is the chief sponsor of the bill in the Minnesota Senate.
When asked about Senate Democrats’ support for an assault weapons ban, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, D-St. Paul, said, “The caucus doesn’t have a position on that question. Like so many issues there are going to be bills introduced, we’re going to hear them in the committees and we’re going to see if they (Democrats) are in support.”
Democrats were able to get enough votes last session to pass two gun-control bills, including “red-flag” legislation and universal background checks.
Rep. Finke, a biological man, is a graduate of the private-Christian, Baptist-aligned Bethel University. Finke grew up in Minnesota’s west metro before “transitioning” in adulthood and now identifies as a woman. Elected in 2022 as the first transgender person to serve in Minnesota’s legislature, the St. Paul lawmaker authored the so-called “Trans Refuge” bill in 2023.
Authorized by Gov. Tim Walz, the “Trans Refuge” law was among the most controversial bills passed by the DFL trifecta during the 2023 session because of its promotion of sex-change surgeries and drugs for children. Additionally, legal experts warned that the bill could allow the state to take custody of a child if that child’s parent forbids their child from receiving so-called “gender-affirming care.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
