A Minnesota state representative was reportedly intoxicated while carrying a loaded handgun — riding in a car driven by a fellow GOP lawmaker who was arrested and charged with DWI. He also told police that a bottle of alcohol in the vehicle was his.
That representative is Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville.
Let that sink in.
Minnesota law is crystal clear: guns and alcohol do not mix. That’s not political spin. That’s basic public safety. Carrying a firearm in public comes with higher expectations. That’s not a suggestion, it’s the minimum standard of accountability.
And yet, in this case, a sitting legislator appears to have done the exact opposite.
Rep. Hudson has been vocal about what he believes responsible gun ownership should look like. He didn’t hesitate to invoke that standard when criticizing Alex Pretti, a Minnesotan who was killed by federal agents while legally carrying a firearm, with no evidence of wrongdoing.
That standard seemed very clear then. So where did it go?
Because if “responsible gun ownership” includes carrying a loaded firearm while drinking and riding with an impaired driver, then the definition has been stretched beyond recognition.
And here’s what makes this even more troubling: Rep. Hudson has voted against every single gun safety measure that has come before him in committee. Every one. He has repeatedly opposed policies designed to reduce risk, increase accountability, and protect Minnesotans—only to now appear to have engaged in the very kind of reckless behavior those policies are meant to prevent.
And this moment exposes something bigger than one incident: it reveals the gap between rhetoric and reality. Between what some lawmakers demand of others and what they’re willing to accept from themselves.
Minnesotans deserve better than that.
