MN Capitol Security Panel Revisits Gun Issue

ST. PAUL (AP) - An advisory committee on Minnesota Capitol security is preparing recommendations that could include a new notification process for handgun permit holders who want to bring firearms into the building.

Lieutenant Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon, the panel's chairwoman, said Tuesday that she will propose a standardized form that gun owners would have to fill out prior to carrying a gun in the Capitol. It would be more precise than a current system of notification.

The Department of Public Safety has received verbal or written notice from more than 800 people about carrying a gun. But the agency doesn't always verify if a person has a valid gun permit.

The recommendations, which will be refined at a November 25 hearing, could seek to place an expiration date on the notifications.