A Minnesota state lawmaker says that Mall of America’s policy prohibiting citizens from carrying legally concealed weapons into the mall is “ridiculous,” especially in the face of terrorist group Al-Shabaab’s recent threats against the facility.
“The situation with Mall of America is completely ridiculous,” Republican state Rep. Tony Cornish told WCCO, lamenting the Bloomington, Minn.-based mall’s blanket ban on guns.
“It’s just the opposite of what they should be doing. If we’re threatened with an attack of any time, the last thing you ever want to do is disarm citizens.”
Al-Shabaab, which operates out of Somalia and has ties to al-Qaida, released a video over the weekend urging supporters to target Mall of America as well as malls in London and Canada.
Al-Shabaab is responsible for the 2013 attack on the Westgate mall in Nairobi, Kenya, which left 67 people dead.
Cornish, the chairman of the state House Public Safety Committee says that the state’s concealed carry laws were intended to allow citizens to legally carry concealed weapons in open spaces such as malls and other venues while giving individual stores the option of banning them.
“We will continue to monitor events with the help of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies,” Mall of America said in a statement over the weekend. “As always, we take any potential threat seriously and respond appropriately. Mall of America has implemented extra security precautions, some may be noticeable to guests, and others won’t be. We will continue to follow the situation, along with law enforcement, and will remain vigilant as we always do in similar situations.”
The Daily Caller reached out to Cornish for more details and will report back when he responds.
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