My guess is that they perceived that they don't have the votes to get out of this cleanly. It's a political hot potato for sure and, apparently unlike Colorado, support for gun control among rural legislators just isn't there. Many of the new Democrats in the legislature got in marginally on support for the marriage act and the voter ID measure. I suspect it wouldnt take much to go the other way in the next election and gun control is just the issue that could do it. Not much would make the Iron Range cross party lines but I bet this would.