Essay
Good afternoon speaker and my fellow representatives. My name is Alex Oxley and I’m presenting a bill for an act relating to prohibit and restrict the possession of dangerous weapons in local government buildings or leased buildings or land. Bill HF1601. This is an issue that both sides of government I feel should agree on as it protects both sides equally. Political violence is a big and scary issue in this country and in Minnesota this bill we can add additional safety for our local politicians. This bill also protects many Minnesotans that use local government owned buildings like libraries and/or recreation centers. To clarify, this bill doesn’t put any security measures into law, this bill just prohibits the possession of these types of weaponry in local government buildings, leased buildings, and land. The bill does say that all buildings that fall into this criteria must have signage near the entrance that clearly state guns are not allowed inside. Anyone who doesn’t have special clearance/exceptions allowing them to carry a weapon who continues to bring a firearm into a local government owned building will be guilty of a misdemeanor. This bill can potentially save the lives of many Minnesotans by just adding another layer of security and protection against dangerous weapons in local government buildings.