On Tuesday, a Minnesota law enforcement coalition urged the public safety omnibus bill conference committee to include language expanding background checks on gun sales in its final report. The letter came as the committee considers whether to adopt background check language passed last month by the Minnesota House — language that the letter’s signers said would improve public safety.
“Minnesota law enforcement believes these provisions protect our communities and officers from gun violence while also respecting the Second Amendment rights of Minnesotans,” the letter states.
The letter called the measures “tailored to have the most strategic impact on gun violence while minimizing the burden to law-abiding gun owners,” noting that the proposal includes exceptions for shotguns and hunting rifles, temporary hunting situations and transfers between immediate family members.
The letter was signed by leaders of the Minnesota Police & Peace Officers Association, the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association, the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association and Minnesota County Attorneys Association.
A yearlong Everytown investigation found that in 2018, there were as many as 28,818 ads on Armslist.com offering guns for sale in Minnesota with no background check required. Criminal background checks are the foundation of any effort to reduce gun violence across America. State laws requiring background checks for all handgun sales are associated with lower firearm homicide rates and lower firearm suicide rates. For more information about the importance of strengthening background checks in Minnesota, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
