Currently, felons convicted of illegally possessing firearms in Minnesota face mandatory minimum five-year prison sentences, but that could change in the near future.

State lawmakers will soon debate a proposed bill that would study the possibility of eliminating mandatory minimum sentences even for violent offenders.

Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, is the House sponsor of the bill as part of an ongoing effort to pass reforms in the criminal justice system.

Fraizer told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS studies have shown mandatory minimum sentences have not always worked the way they were originally intended.

“What we’re doing is taking a look at mandatory minimum sentences to make sure that these sentences that we are implementing are bearing out the results that we want,” Frazier said. “If that, in fact, is not making us safer, are there other places we could be investing that millions of dollars on the front end?”

Maple Grove Police Chief Eric Werner, the immediate past president of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, says removing mandatory prison time will send the wrong message.

“Those individuals that are essentially violating the law, with the crimes that are being repealed, are usually our more serious offenders,” Werner said. “So why would we take a step back from keeping our communities safe by holding our more serious offenders accountable?”

Frazier said any changes in mandatory minimum sentencing would not preclude judges from handing down harsh sentences if warranted under sentencing guidelines.

He also said the bill will likely have amendments allowing for stronger penalties for those convicted of gun trafficking or possessing automatic switches and ghost guns. The bill has not yet had a scheduled hearing.