ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today criticized an initial party line vote by a public safety conference committee rejecting background checks and Red Flag gun safety measures passed last month by the Minnesota House of Representatives.
“There’s still time for the conference committee to put public safety before politics,” said Erin Zamoff, volunteer chapter leader for the Minnesota chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “A public safety budget that doesn’t include these reasonable measures isn’t one that reflects the values of most Minnesotans.”
Before the vote on Tuesday, a law enforcement coalition urged the committee in a letter to include language expanding background checks in its final report. 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. Research shows that states with background checks on all gun sales – by point-of-sale check and/or permit – were associated with 10 percent lower homicide rates.