Fargo Police Chief Calls For Assault Weapons Ban

Fargo Police Chief Keith Ternes must not have a firm grasp on what’s actually happening at the legislature in Bismarck. In blasting HB1183, introduced by Rep. Roscoe Streyle and aimed at preventing any state support for new federal gun control laws, Ternes claimed that most law enforcement in the state would oppose the bill:

FARGO — When Fargo officials talked this week about proposed legislation and whether a given bill fell in the “support” or “oppose” category, Police Chief Keith Ternes added a third option — “strongly oppose.”

Ternes relegates House Bill 1183, which he describes as “shortsighted,” to the latter category.

The bill would prohibit state and local law enforcement agencies from assisting federal authorities in enforcing federal firearms laws passed after Jan. 1, 2013.

“I don’t want to speak for anybody else, but I think you’d find that law enforcement across the state is probably in opposition to it as well,” Ternes said.

It might surprise Ternes, then, to learn that when HB1183 was heard in committee earlier this week there wasn’t a word of testimony against it from law enforcement officials despite plenty of people from the law enforcement community being on-hand. I wrote about law enforcement groups largely dropping their opposition to this bill earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Ternes also seems to support banning so-called “assault weapons,” saying he’d like to see “military equivalent” firearms restricted:

Ternes said his personal view is that some new regulations are necessary.

“If we were having a debate where the suggestion was we are going to eliminate guns entirely … I’m opposed to that. But, I do think there should be some restrictions on military equivalent-type of weapons,” Ternes said.

It’s worth mentioning that Ternes’ boss is Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker, the only mayor in North Dakota to belong to the rabidly anti-gun Mayors Against Gun Violence group headed by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Walaker said last month that guns were only for hunting, and suggested that the 2nd amendemnt could use some “revisions.”

I don’t think Ternes, or Walaker, are in touch with what North Dakotans want to see on 2nd amendment issues.