Minnesota Moms Demand Action, Everytown Thank Governor Dayton for Backing Background Check and Red Flag Proposals

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today thanked Governor Mark Dayton for saying state lawmakers should strengthen state gun laws, including by requiring background checks for all gun sales and by passing red flag legislation.

More information is available here about red flag laws, which empower family members and law enforcement to seek an Extreme Risk Protection Order, a court order temporarily restricting a person’s access to guns when they pose a danger to self or others. Like many mass shooters, the 19-year-old suspected of shooting and killing at least 17 people and injuring at least 15 others at a high school in Parkland, Florida displayed warning signs prior to the shooting.

Federal law requires licensed gun dealers to conduct criminal background checks on gun sales, but there is no federal background check requirement for unlicensed sales, including sales initiated online and sales made at gun shows. While a number of states have passed background check requirements to address this loophole, Minnesota has not. In states that require background checks on all handgun sales, there are 53 percent fewer law enforcement officers killed with firearms in the line of duty, 47 percent fewer women are shot to death by intimate partners and 47 percent fewer firearm suicides.

STATEMENT FROM ERIN ZAMOFF, VOLUNTEER CHAPTER LEADER WITH THE MINNESOTA CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:

“Minnesotans across the political spectrum want our families to be safe, and these sensible proposals would protect our communities without infringing on the rights of law-abiding gun owners. If enacted by our lawmakers, these sensible proposals will make clear that Minnesota’s leaders can come together to improve public safety, and more importantly, they will save lives.”