WASHNGTON — The Gifford Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which lobbies for gun controls, gives Minnesota a mixed rating. Despite enacting several strong gun safety measures, Minnesota is still missing a number of lifesaving policies that can combat gun violence in the state, according to the center. The center’s summary:
What Minnesota does well
> Permit-to-purchase for handguns.
> Certain assault weapon restrictions.
> Certain domestic violence gun laws.
> Certain waiting period laws.
> Certain open carry regulations.
> Child access prevention laws.
> Disarming procedures.
> Partial handgun dealer regulation.
> Ammunition sale regulation.
> Extreme risk protection orders.
> Community Violence Intervention funding.
> Universal background checks for most firearms.
What Minnesota is missing
> Permit-to-purchase for long guns.
> Large capacity magazine ban.
> Lost and stolen firearm reporting.
> Prohibit armed intimidation at polling places, drop. boxes, and where votes are counted.
> Bulk firearm purchase restrictions.
> Enact a gun industry accountability law.
> Require gun owners to safely store firearms
Verbatim
Giffords Center: In 2023, Minnesota had the eighth lowest gun death rate among the states. In an average year, 527 people die from gun violence in the state — one person every 17 hours. About 71% of the deaths are suicides, and 26% are gun homicides. In Minnesota, the rate of gun deaths increased 35% from 2014 to 2023, compared to a 33% increase nationwide.
Giffords profile
The Giffords Law Center is the result of a 2016 merger of the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence with Americans for Responsible Solutions. The latter was a nonprofit gun safety organization led by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and retired astronaut Mark Kelly. The organization changed its name to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in 2017. Giffords was shot in the head during an assassination attempt in 2011 at a constituent meeting in Tucson, Arizona. She suffered a severe brain injury that led to her resignation from Congress. The shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, killed six people and injured 12 others. He was sentenced to life in prison.