Gun restriction laws approved in North Dakota House

Two bills adding more restrictions to guns were approved by North Dakota lawmakers on Tuesday. House bill 1588 passed 49-43; it prohibits firearms in educational buildings and allows local governments to ban weapons in public buildings. It increases penalties for crimes involving a binary trigger, which is a device that allows a semi-automatic firearm to fire one round when the trigger is pulled and another when it is released. The legislation was called a “tribute” by some lawmakers to the July 2023 death of a Fargo Police officer who was shot with a gun equipped with a binary trigger. House bill 1326 passed 56-35 after reconsideration; it prevents self-defense claims when illegal firearms are used in altercations. Those two bills await approval in the Senate. Five bills that would have loosened gun regulations, sponsored by Representatives Koppelman and Heilman, were rejected.