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<\/a><\/p>\nThere was a debate on Wednesday in Bemidji<\/a>.\u00a0 Since a couple of districts – 2A and 5A – are in play in the Bemidji area, candidate from both were apparently in the ring.<\/p>\n The topic turned to gun control:<\/p>\n In response to a question on gun control, [HD2A GOP challenger Dave] Hancock said shooting incidents usually occur in places where guns are banned.<\/p>\n “If we look we look at the areas where tragedy has occurred with guns, they are usually in gun-free zone(s),” he said. “Where you have people armed and carrying concealed weaponry, the criminal in use of a gun thinks twice.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That’s pretty much the fact.\u00a0 Hancock got it right.\u00a0 No surprise there.<\/p>\n Here’s where it gets interesting – and when I say “interesting”, I mean “A DFLer starts saying things that misinform the uninformed”.\u00a0 The DFL’s Joe Persell responded to the question; I’m going to add emphasis:<\/p>\n Persell disagreed, saying carrying weapons can exacerbate tense situations.<\/p>\n “Folks that are out there carrying, playing cop … I don’t think we want them to be doing that,” he said. “There’s more instances of people being killed because they are carrying<\/strong>, and they think somebody said something nasty, and they felt threatened, and so they shot them<\/strong>.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Really, Rep. Persell?<\/p>\n I wanted to ask Rep. Persell to name one example of either of a Minnesotan…:<\/p>\n Conversation<\/strong>: \u00a0I sent Rep. Persell an email asking for clarification. \u00a0He contacted me, saying he’d been taken out of context in the Bemidji Pioneer. \u00a0We wound up having a conversation last night. \u00a0 I pointed out that there has never been such a case involving a legal post 2003 carry permit holder in the state of Minnesota (although there were a few incidents with pre-2003 permits – the ones issued by sheriffs).<\/p>\n Rep. Persell told me that the conversation referred to the Second Amendment as a general, nationwide issue, and that he was referring to cases like those of Michael Dunn<\/a>, the Florida man who shot a teenager over, the court case said, “loud music”.<\/p>\n Those cases certainly grab the headlines – the media, being left-of-center and largely anti-gun, makes sure they do.<\/p>\n\n