IT A CENTER PIECE FOR THEIR
CAMPAIGN.
JOINING US NOW IS
REPRESENTATIVE ERIN MURPHY OF
ST. PAUL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
COMING IN.
THANK YOU, GOOD MORNING.
GOOD MORNING.
WHAT IS YOUR SPECIFIC PROPOSAL?
I KNOW YOU HAVE A LIST OF
THEM FOR GUN CONTROL MEASURES.
THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT I HAVE
BEEN WORKING ON FOR A NUMBER OF
YEARS.
I CAME TO THE ISSUE IN MY
INTEREST IN THE HEALTH OF THE
PEOPLE, AND JUST LIKE MOST
MINNESOTANS AND MOST AMERICANS
THE SHOOTING IN PARKLAND AND
BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT WAS
ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN THAT
CLASSROOM BECAUSE OF THE
STUDENTS IN THERE, THEIR
iPHONES, WAS HORRIFYING, AND I
AM WORKING WITH A NUMBER OF
ORGANIZATIONS TO INTRODUCE A
SERIES OF PROPOSALS INCLUDING
UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS,
INCLUDING A BAN ON ASSAULT
STYLE WEAPONS, INCLUDING THE
ABILITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH TO COLLECT, AGAIN, DATA
TO STUDY FROM A PUBLIC HEALTH
POINT OF VIEW THE INTERSECTION
BETWEEN GUN OWNERSHIP AND GUN
VIOLENCE.
WHAT IS CLEAR TO ME IS THE GUN
LOBBY HERE IN MINNESOTA AND
ACROSS THIS NATION HAS TOO MUCH
POWER, AND WHEN MINNESOTANS ARE
ABLE TO COME TOGETHER, THEY ARE
ABLE TO COME TOGETHER AROUND
COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONS, AND
ACROSS THE STATE, AND THIS IS
NOT JUST THIS WEEKEND OR LAST
WEEKEND, BUT ACROSS THE STATE,
I HEAR MINNESOTANS STANDING UP
AND SAYING WE CAN TAKE THIS
ISSUE ON.
ALL RIGHT.
THESE PROPOSALS HAVE COME UP IN
THE LEGISLATURE BEFORE.
THEY HAVE GOTTEN ABSOLUTELY
NOWHERE, EVEN WHEN DEMOCRATS
WERE IN CONTROL OF LEGISLATIVE
BODIES.
WHEN YOU WERE IN THE HOUSE
LEADERSHIP, DO YOU REALLY THINK
SOMETHING'S GOING TO HAPPEN
THIS TIME?
YOU KNOW, IT WILL --
SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN,
AND I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WILL
HAPPEN IN THIS SESSION.
YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS THE
MAJORITY LEADER, I WATCHED A
NEW LEGISLATURE COME TOGETHER
AFTER THE SANDY HOOK SHOOTING,
A NEW GROUP OF INDICATES
ELECTED ALL OVER THE STATE OF
MINNESOTA WHO RIGHT AFTER THAT
SHOOTING MET TOGETHER IN
RETREAT AND SAID IT IS TIME FOR
US TO TAKE THIS UP.
LET'S LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING
IN OUR SCHOOLS.
THEY DIDN'T GET ANYTHING
DONE.
WITHIN TWO MONTHS OF THAT
MEETING I WATCHED OUR CAUCUS
AND OUR MEMBERS FRACTURE
BECAUSE OF THE REACH OF THE NRA
AND BECAUSE OF THE REACH OF THE
GUN LOBBY, AND WHAT BECAME A
VERY CONTENTIOUS ISSUE INSIDE
OUR CAUCUS AND THE LEGISLATURE
RESULTED IN ALMOST NO PROGRESS.
I THINK MINNESOTANS UNDERSTAND
NOW THE REACH OF THE GUN LOBBY
AND THE NRA.
I'M HAPPY TO SAY THAT I'VE
ALWAYS GOTTEN AN F FROM THEM
AND I'VE NEVER TAKEN THEIR
MONEY.
IT IS TIME FOR US TO RECOGNIZE
THEY HAVE TOO MUCH POWER.
IF WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE
MOVING FORWARD WITH IDEAS THAT
MINNESOTANS SUPPORT TO PROTECT
OUR COMMUNITIES AND KIDS IN
SCHOOL, THEN IT'S TIME FOR US
TO RECOGNIZE THE THREAT OF THE
GUN LOBBY AND PUT MINNESOTANS
BACK AT THE TABLE.
YOU WERE THE FIRST CANDIDATE
TO GET INTO THIS RACE WAY BACK
IN 2016, YET YOU CAME IN THIRD
IN THE CAUCUSES.
DO YOU REALLY HAVE A PATH TO
THE NOMINATION, WHICH IS COMING
UP IN JUNE, AND WILL YOU ABIDE
BY THE NOMINATING PROCESS?
WHEN I ANNOUNCED MY
INTENTION TO RUN AND FILED, I
ANNOUNCED ALSO THAT I WOULD
ABIDE BY THE DFL ENDORSEMENT.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO ME.
IT'S AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF
INFRASTRUCTURE, AND IT IS ALSO
A REPRESENTATION OF A GRASS
ROOTS KIND OF POLITICS THAT I
BELIEVE IN.
I ABSOLUTELY HAVE A PATH TO THE
ENDORSEMENT, AND YOU CAN SEE IT
IN THE RESULTS OF THE
CONVENTIONS AND THE DELEGATES
BEING ELECTED.
WE'RE EARNING A LOT OF SUPPORT.
I THINK ANOTHER PROOF POINT FOR
ME IS THE FACT THAT THERE ARE
MORE THAN 50 ELECTED OFFICIALS,
CITY COUNSELORS, MAYORS, SCHOOL
BOARD MEMBERS AND LEGISLATORS
FROM ALL OVER THE STATE THAT
HAVE JOINED THIS CAMPAIGN.
PEOPLE LIKE SUE HILL BERT WHO'S
THE MAYOR OF OLIVIA AND AARON
MAY QUAID AND THE FORMER
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, I'M
BUILDING A STRONG STATEWIDE
COALITION OF SUPPORT, AND THAT
IS BECAUSE I SPENT THE LAST 12
YEARS ALL OVER THE STATE OF
MINNESOTA GETTING TO KNOW ABOUT
WHAT MAKES US TICK, ABOUT OUR
REGIONAL ECONOMY, SPENDING MY
TIME WITH THE PEOPLE OF
MINNESOTA, AND I KNOW MINNESOTA
LIKE THE BACK OF MY HAND, AND
PEOPLE KNOW ME FOR MY HARD
WORK, FOR THE POSITIONS THAT
I'VE TAKEN AND STOOD WITH, AND
I KNOW THAT THIS IS AN
IMPORTANT ELECTION FOR THE
PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA AND FOR OUR
FUTURE, AND IT IS NO TIME FOR A
TIPPY TOE KIND OF POLITICS.
IS THAT A SHOT AT
REPRESENTATIVE TIM WALLS WHO
MANY THINK IS THE FRONT RUNNER?
I THINK IT IS MY STATEMENT
ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE TO
STAND UP FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE IN