Dear Friends and neighbors,

The Legislature wrapped up a one-day special session in the very early hours of Tuesday morning, passing a series of bills to finish our work on the state budget and prevent a government shutdown.

This session was marked by weeks of delays when House Democrats refused to come to the Capitol, a challenging power-sharing agreement in the Minnesota House, and a temporary power-sharing agreement in the Senate followed by a one-vote split. The process was at times ugly, but we were able to finish the job.

In the days and weeks ahead I will provide an update on each budget area, but for now, I want to highlight one change that I know many of you care deeply about: the removal of the shotgun-only hunting zone. While this change mostly affects southern Minnesota, I’ve been getting a lot of feedback from hunters in our area who like to hunt down there.

The facts are clear: today’s rifles are much more accurate and safer than modern shotguns. In 2013, Wisconsin legalized rifles for statewide use. Since then, according to the Wisconsin DNR, total incidents are at the lowest level in the history of the state. And according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a 2003 Wisconsin DNR survey found shotguns are responsible for a disproportionate amount of shooting incidents.

Repealing the shotgun-only zone is a win for hunters and a win for common sense. Local governments will still have the option to regulate hunting methods in their areas, but the statewide restriction is now gone.

This provision was included in the final environment budget bill. I was proud to support it, and grateful to everyone who reached out, testified, or shared their thoughts over the last couple of months.

As always, I’m here to listen. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or feedback! It is a privilege to serve you.