House committee passes county attorney protections bill

A Minnesota state House committee has passed a bill that would let county attorneys carry guns on the job.

The Associated Press reports the House Public Safety Committee's vote today comes a month after the courthouse shooting of Cook County Attorney Tim Scannell by a man he prosecuted for criminal sexual conduct. Scannell attended the hearing and testified in favor of a separate bill, which also passed, to enhance criminal penalties for assaulting or killing a prosecutor.

The firearms bill would exempt county attorneys from a statute that prohibits local government employees from carrying firearms. The other bill adds prosecutors to a list of protected occupations under the state's first-degree murder statute.

Republican Rep. Tony Cornish, the author of the bills, says he expects both will now head to the full House for a floor vote.