Among the gun bills approved by the state House Judiciary Committee was one that would require a person involuntarily committed for inpatient mental health treatment to relinquish their guns within 48 hours of release. But another bill would reinstate a law intended to thwart municipal gun laws that was struck down on a technicality.
Tim Briggs of Montgomery County, the ranking Democrat on the panel, ripped the lack of action on other gun bills.
“This is a little bit of political cover to allow the majority party to say, ‘We’re doing something about guns,’ ” Briggs said.
The chairman of the committee, Republican Rob Kauffman, said the slate of gun bills reflected a balanced and comprehensive approach.
“I don’t have any intention of bringing further gun bills before the committee any more this year,” he said.
And as for “red flag” legislation, Kauffman believes the bill taking guns from people committed for mental health treatment addresses those issues.