>> ERIC: THIS SUMMER, WE'RE TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT SEVERAL OF MINNESOTA'S NEW LAWS.

UP TONIGHT, NEW GUN LAWS, INCLUDING UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS AND SO-CALLED RED FLAG LAWS.

BOTH ARE PART OF THE LARGER PUBLIC SAFETY BILL.

REPRESENTATIVE JAMIE BECKER-FINN WAS CO-CHAIR OF THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE THAT WORKED ON THE DETAILS BEFORE THIS YEAR'S PUBLIC SAFETY BILL PASSED BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE ON THE WAY TO BECOMING LAW.

REPRESENTATIVE BECKER-FINN JOINS US.

MADAM CHAIR, RED FLAG, IF THEY CAN PROVE THAT SOMEBODY'S GOING TO BE A DANGER O THEMSELVES OR OTHERS TEMPORARILY WEAPONS CAN BE WITHDRAWN AND AN EXPANDED BACKGROUND CHECK.

HOW MONUMENTAL IS THIS OR IS IT?

>> YEAH.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S NO ONE LAW THAT'S GOING TO CHANGE EVERYTHING AND PREVENT EVERY GUN CRIME, BUT I THINK THESE ARE REALLY SIGNIFICANT.

THEY'RE THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW IN THE POLLING THAT MOST MINNESOTANS AGREE THAT THESE ARE GOOD IDEAS AND THEY'RE COMMON-SENSE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO AT LEAST PREVENT SOME GUN CRIMES.

YOU KNOW, IT'S PRETTY BIG DEAL, YOU KNOW, FOR THE ADVOCATES WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR A REALLY LONG TIME.

YOU KNOW, THIS WAS ONE OF THE ISSUES, WHY SOME OF THE PEOPLE I SERVE WITH EVEN DECIDED TO RUN FOR OFFICE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

SO TO FINALLY GET THESE THINGS ACROSS THE FINISH LINE WITH THE SUPPORT THAT WE'VE HAD IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

>> Cathy: EVIDENTLY RESEARCH SHOWS WHEN IT COMES TO THE RED FLAG LAWS THAT THE EFFECTIVENESS IS MIXED.

THEY SEEM TO WORK FOR FOLKS WHO MAY DO HARM TO THEMSELVES, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO MASS SHOOTINGS, YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF MIXED.

SO, WHAT ARE YOU HOPING WILL COME FROM THIS RED FLAG LAW?

>> YOU KNOW, THE THING THAT WE TALK ABOUT IN THE COMMITTEE, THE CHIEF AUTHORS OF THESE BILLS, REPRESENTATIVE PINTO, VICE CHAIR FRAZIER, REPRESENTATIVE MOLLER'S DONE A LOT OF WORK IN THESE OVER THE YEARS, WE ALWAYS SAY, AGAIN, THERE ISN'T ONE THING THAT'S GOING TO FIX EVERYTHING.

BUT HOW MANY LIVES SAVED IS ENOUGH TO MAKE IT WORTH IT TO DO THESE THINGS?

AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THE WAY, LEGALLY, THEY'RE EXTREME RISK PROTECTION ORDERS.

YOU KNOW, KIND OF COLLOQUIALLY WE USE THE TERM RED FLAG.

BUT IT'S ALL ABOUT MANAGING RISK.

AND IN THE PLACES WHERE WE CAN REDUCE THAT RISK OF THAT HARM OCCURRING BECAUSE SOMEBODY HAS ACCESS TO A WEAPON WHEN THEY SHOULDN'T, WE THINK IT'S A GOOD IDEA THAT WE DO THAT.

AND THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS, TOO.

EVERY STATE HAS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT WAYS OF GETTING THE ORDERS.

YOU KNOW, IMPLEMENTING THE ORDERS, WHETHER THEY GO AND TAKE THE GUNS, YOU KNOW, ALL THOSE KINDS OF THINGS DIFFER FROM STATE TO STATE.

AND, SO, DETAILS ARE BEING FIGURED OUT, SO WE CAN MOVE FORWARD ON THAT.

>> Eric: YOU HAD A GUN STORAGE BILL, I THINK, THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT.

>> CORRECT.

YEAH.

YOU KNOW, IT'S KIND OF -- IT WAS ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE ACTUALLY ON ITS FACE SEEMS LIKE THE MOST COMMON-SENSE ONES OF HE BUNCH.

AS A LIFE-LONG GUN OWNER MYSELF, FOR MOST FOLKS, THAT WAS PRETTY COMMON SENSE.

YOU KNOW, THINGS IN THE LEGISLATURE ARE NOT ALWAYS LOGICAL.

THE BEST ARGUMENTS DON'T ALWAYS WIN.

YOU KNOW, FRUSTRATING THAT SHERIFFS, IN PARTICULAR, WERE OPPOSED TO THAT.

IT'S A LITTLE BIT TROUBLING THAT OUR SHERIFFS WOULD BE OPPOSED TO STORING WEAPONS SAFELY.

BUT THERE'S MORE ORGANIZING GOING ON, AND WE'LL DEFINITELY BE BRINGING THINGS FORWARD NEXT YEAR.

>> Cathy: STRAW PURCHASES ARE ALSO REALLY BIG.

I MEAN, THAT WOULD -- THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP IN THE PAST, BUT THERE'S BEEN NO MOVEMENT ON THAT EITHER.

HOW DISAPPOINTING IS THAT FOR YOU?

>> YOU KNOW, ANY TIME WE CAN'T MOVE SOMETHING FORWARD, IT'S DISAPPOINTING, BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S JUST SO SIGNIFICANT THAT WE MOVED ANYTHING FORWARD AND IS ACTUALLY CHANGING RIGHT NOW THAT I THINK THAT THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

AGAIN, IF WE CAN PREVENT SOME OF THOSE BAD OUTCOMES FROM HAPPENING, THEN IT'S WORTH IT.

>> Eric: THE PUBLIC SAFETY BILL, WAS IT $880 MILLION?

BIG NUMBER.

>> YUP.

>> I KNOW THAT THE COURT SYSTEM, THE JUSTICE SYSTEM, I THINK, HAS BEEN UNDERFUNDED FOR QUITE A WHILE.

IS IT PLUGGING SOME HOLES THERE?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

THIS IS ACTUALLY ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY WE HAD WITH THIS BUDGET.

SO, FOLKS MAY HAVE SEEN IN THE NEWS RECENTLY, WE WERE ABLE TO INCREASE FUNDING FOR PUBLIC DEFENDERS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LEGAL RIGHT TO REPRESENTATION IN CRIMINAL CASES.

AND WE HAVEN'T FUNDED THAT AS A STATE, YOU KNOW, ADEQUATELY FOR MAYBE -- MAYBE EVER HAVE WE EVER FUNDED IT ADEQUATELY.

SO WE FINALLY PUT THE FUNDS INTO THAT AS WELL AS CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES WHERE WE KNOW PREVIOUSLY OVER HALF OF THE PEOPLE WHO QUALIFY ARE BEING TURNED AWAY.

IT'S ACTUALLY AN 85% INCREASE IN CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES HIS YEAR.

>> Cathy: DO YOU THINK, THE TWO BILLS THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT HERE TONIGHT, IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT THEY COULD BE CHALLENGED IN COURT ON SECOND AMENDMENT GROUNDS?

>> I MEAN, THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEBODY WHO WILL FILE A LAWSUIT.

IT'S A MATTER OF WHETHER IT'S A VALID LAWSUIT THAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO MOVE FORWARD.

WE KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT THE FIRST STATE TO MOVE THESE BILLS FORWARD AND THEY'VE BEEN UPHELD IN MANY OTHER STATES.

SO I THINK CONSTITUTIONALLY, THEY'RE SOUND.

>> Eric: WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING DOWN AND TALKING TO US