Would someone who's been following this more closely than I have explain why there are relatively few states with reciprocity with Minnesota, compared to (say) Utah or Florida?

It's not a lack of backround checks or qualifications, it's Mike Campions lazy ass not honoring other states that have permits like ours.

It's a you rub my back and I'll rub your's kinda deal.

Mike Campion does what Tim Pawlenty tells him to do.

Pawlenty wishes the law said "equal to or more restrictive."
So he's made it so. He told me at the State Fair that "It's for your (gun owners) own good." Honestly, he did.

He (Pawlenty) told my buddy last week that the reason we couldn't get more reciprocity was the differences in the mental health standards in other states.

That's a bullshit answer. The reason is that in spite of all logic, Campion is reading "substantially similar" as "meets or exceeds."

I agree 100%.

I just thought it was amusing to see them tap dance to a slightly different tune.

Well, to be fair, Scott Wiggins, a member of PAwlenty's administration, not a lawyer, and not entirely capable of using a legal dictionary made the call that when reading the complex and varrying laws of 50 states signifigantly similar said whatever Campion and Pawlenty needed it to say to give just enough to appear to be keeping promises.

Seriously: who has an inexperienced NON-Lawyer interpret the disparate laws of 50 states to determine their similarities based upon a legal standard that said evaluator can't be bothered to define?

Tim Pawlenty, that's who.

Who wrote the law giving such subjective latitude, regarding reciprocity standards, to the Commissioner in the first place?

Seems to me that if one is going to write a law removing the subjective judgment from many different agencies, one would be wary of giving free latitude to a single individual.

If you think reciprocity is bad now, wait until an antigun, metrocrat governor appoints the Commissioner of Public Safety. Laws should be written assuming that your worst enemy will be in power.

Significantly Similar, as I understand it, was intended to remove latitude from the commissioner. The idea is that if another state's laws are categorically similar (require training, background check, actual shooting qualification), it should be honored. for ex: 8 hours vs 4 hours is still significantly similar as far as training goes.

I suspect there was a lot of political wrangling and a lot of damage control in the passing of the bill. All n all, it's a good bill for Minnesotans and aside from the reciprocity issue is better than a LOT of states. Texas and FL for concealment, MI for church carry, CA for liquor locations, etc...

They could have paid a lawyer to figure it out.

As I heard it, they (Campion) HAD a lawyer at a meeting about the list but he wasn't the one who did the dirty work ...

coincidentally, didn't Campion speak at a MN Anti-Gun rally recently?

The key is "as I understand it." Others may understand it differently. There is room for interpretation.

Better in a lot of areas. Worse in others. Many up north here no longer have permits because of the cost of training coupled with the application cost.

The beauty of this forum is that we have many of the people who were in on the ground floor so to speak. If you search out reciprocity and read a bit you'll see what has been said publicly about the issue.

you're right about the cost though. In taking their power to indiscriminately deny in the metro, they took the power to charge more.

Tim Pawlenty should hear the clap of thunder, there will be one hell of a storm brewing here over the next 2 years.