Jim Davnie, a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives, said that he is tired of the GOP’s utter disregard for the safety and welfare of school students.
On Friday, a report by CNN confirmed that a teenager used a shotgun and a revolver to kill 10 people and wound 10 others at a Texas high school. Davnie said that despite an increase in of gun violence in schools this year, the GOP is not taking steps to put an end to it.
“I’m frustrated that the Republican leadership has blocked every attempt to move forward on common sense gun safety measures even though the proposals have bipartisan and broad public support,” he said.
To help schools increase safety measures, he added that a bipartisan approach is the need of the hour.
“If we continue to work together and build a coalition of Minnesotans that want common sense responses to senseless gun violence, we can pass criminal background checks and extreme risk protection orders that will have a meaningful impact. The least we can do is pass a stand-alone bill to help our schools increase safety measures protecting our students,” he said.
Earlier this month, Governor Mark Dayton issued a letter , urging the legislative leaders to work on school safety legislation. He announced his Safe and Secure Schools Act proposal more than 10 weeks ago. However, the GOP-controlled House and Senate have not yet sent school safety legislation to the governor for his signature.
Time is running out for the #mnleg to pass important tax and budget legislation, so Governor Dayton has offered a compromise to deliver on the many urgent needs facing Minnesotans. Learn more: https://t.co/qpLs5CSFKL pic.twitter.com/WYpWw0xYEG
— Governor Mark Dayton (@GovMarkDayton) May 19, 2018
“I have asked you again and again to send these essential school safety provisions in a stand-alone bill, yet my requests have been ignored,” wrote Governor Dayton in his letter.
Instead, the Republicans have embedded school safety provisions into large, controversial bills alongside numerous unrelated, controversial issues.
“You are well aware that including these essential school safety provisions in a bill destined for a veto puts these important policies at great risk of not becoming law this year. That would be irresponsible. We are very close to an agreement on these important issues, and with 18 days remaining this Legislative Session, I see no reason why we should not be able to reach consensus with time to spare,” he said last week.
