ST. PAUL — A Minnesota state lawmaker said he’s being unfairly criticized over remarks at a recent Capitol rally for gun owners.

Rep. Carl Bahr of East Bethel was among several speakers at Saturday’s rally when he called for the crowd to “start riding herd on the rest of these people that want to take your rights away from you.”

Bahr went on to say: “They need to be kicked to the curb and stomped on and run over a few times.”

Gov. Tim Walz condemned Bahr’s remarks a day later, saying they undermined democracy by encouraging violence.

In a statement Monday, Bahr said his remarks were aimed at two proposed bills that would restrict guns, rather than people. Bahr, a Republican, said he doesn’t condone violence.