Yesterday, the GOP-led House spent their floor session passing a bunch of gun bills. That’s not very surprising, but this is: Speaker Daudt very conveniently excused two suburban GOP members from the rest of the session right before votes on background checks for guns and lifting the ban on silencers.
This raises some questions, such as: isn’t it convenient that suburban members Tara Mack and Roz Peterson were excused right before the votes on background checks, which are popular in their districts but neither support?
Being a legislator is about taking hard votes, and showing your constituents what you stand for, but Peterson and Mack would apparently rather hide than vote, even though where they stand is already clear.
Rep. Roz Peterson: Pro-Everything Gun-Related
Rep. Peterson may have lacked the political courage to vote her convictions, but I don’t really see why given that her positions are crystal clear. In 2014, Peterson received an A- grade from the Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance. Here’s a list of her responses on their 2014 candidate questionnaire:
- Opposes requiring all firearm purchases and loans be subject to a background check conducted by a licensed firearm dealer
- Supports Stand Your Ground
- Supports repealing the ban on silencers
Peterson also filled out the Minnesota Gun Rights’ 2014 candidate questionnaire (they call themselves the North Star’s NO-COMPROMISE [emphasis theirs] Gun Group). Here are some other positions she’s taken:
- Would co-sponsor a bill to render national gun violence prevention measures unconstitutional
Tara Mack’s “A” Rating
Tara Mack also has a history of supporting gun legislation. GOCRA gave her an A rating in 2014. GOCRA’s website states:
A grades are reserved for proven pro-rights candidates — candidates whose actions, in the legislature or elsewhere — match their words.
Even though Kurt Daudt gave them a free pass, it’s obvious where Mack and Peterson stand on background checks and other gun measures. Why don’t they want to vote their convictions in public so their constituents clearly know where they stand?
