Allow gun bans in public spaces
Police tape and squad cars are seen outside the Jimmy Lee Recreation Center on Jan. 18, where a teenager was shot. Opinion editor’s note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom. Following a horrific shooting outside a St. Paul recreation center, Mayor Melvin Carter wants the city to be able to ban firearms in public places. His administration is rightly working with Ramsey County officials and St. Paul’s legislative delegation to introduce a bill that would give all Minnesota cities the power to prohibit guns at libraries and rec centers. As long as Minnesota gives permitted gun owners the right to conceal and carry, public entities such as cities and counties — as well as the State Capitol — should be able to keep firearms off their premises. Guns already are banned on school properties in the state. The call for a ban follows a Jan. 18 shooting at the Oxford Community Center, which includes the Jimmy Lee Recreation Center. According to a criminal complaint , a center employee, 26-year-old Exavir Dwayne Binford Jr., was in a fight with a group of teens before shooting and critically injuring one of them. Binford has been charged with second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault and has been fired by the city. Carter pointed out that under state law all nonpublic places such as businesses, churches and nonprofits can ban firearms from their premises. If the state doesn’t change laws covering public spaces, […]
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