Minnesota isn't exactly a pro-gun Mecca. They're not the most gun-controlled state by any stretch, but they're not particularly gun-friendly, either. They have plenty of laws that most of us oppose, including universal background checks for handgun sales, handgun permit-to-purchase requirements, and restrictions on NFA items, just to name a few.

But, they do have preemption and open carry, though a permit is required for that.

So I got a little concerned when I saw that the state was considering a new gun control bill.

When Minnesota Democrats managed to enact two gun law changes they’d long favored last year, they did it with a lot of uncertainty and the slimmest of vote margins. A replay is shaping up as advocates ask for additional gun measures around firearms storage and reporting of missing guns.

But another possible change — penalizing buyers who purchase guns for people ineligible to have them — could be coming with broader party backing. That’s in part due to a case unfolding out of a high-profile Burnsville shooting.

The gun bills are still in play after getting hearings ahead of a legislative deadline this week. But that doesn’t mean they’re all on track for passage.

None of the three can afford to stumble in the Senate’s public safety committee Friday as it could jeopardize their path forward. 

Ahead of a hearing on the straw purchasing proposal Thursday, House Public Safety Committee Chair Rep. Kelly Moller said it’s worth bringing all the bills to the table in an effort to deter gun violence.

“It is a priority, not only for me, for our committee, but it's a priority for the state,” said Moller, DFL-Shoreview.

The safe storage and reporting bills would require Democrats to stick together to overcome expected opposition from Republicans. Meanwhile, the Republican-backed straw purchasing bill could be stalled out by Democrats who have said the proposal needs work.

Honestly, the straw purchase bill is the least concerning, in part because this is already illegal at the federal level and the feds have reportedly not been proactive in prosecuting such cases. Having a similar state law means they don't have to way for the feds to act, local district attorneys can act unilaterally. 

Mandatory storage and reporting bills, on the other hand, are very concerning.

While gun storage is a good thing that all responsible gun owners should do, the act of making something mandatory crosses the line from good sense into a problem. The state doesn't understand individual considerations. It doesn't care about anything but you doing what it tells you to do.

Who cares if your 17-year-old daughter has a stalker and needs access to a gun she's been trained to use and use safely in case the jackwagon shows up when no one else is home? No, that's irrelevant because the state knows better.

Reporting requirements are just as bad.

The idea of treating the victim of a crime as a criminal simply because they might not have even realized their gun was stolen is beyond me. Yes, straw buyers often claim their guns were stolen from them after they're caught, but some people don't lay their hands on their weapons every day and will get jammed up from this.

And straw purchases are already illegal, as noted previously.

Minnesota is barking up the wrong tree with at least these two bills, and really with all three.