Dayton asks lawmakers to ban gun sales to terror watch lists

Published 5:16 pm Saturday, December 19, 2015

ST. PAUL — Gov. Mark Dayton is urging legislators to ban gun sales to people on terrorism watch lists.

Mark Dayton

Mark Dayton

Statehouses nationwide have begun exploring those measures to stop would-be extremists from buying firearms. In Connecticut, Gov. Dannel Malloy has pledged to sign an executive order banning gun sales to individuals on no-fly lists.

Dayton previously said he would explore possible actions in Minnesota. The governor said Friday he concluded he doesn’t have the authority to restrict those sales on his own.

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But he left it to the Legislature to pass such a law, and promised he would sign it. He said people who aren’t allowed to board airplanes shouldn’t be able to purchase guns.

Minnesota’s Legislature won’t reconvene until early March.