Minnesota Moms Demand Action, Everytown Respond to Latest Sign of Governor’s Commitment to Enacting Background Check and Red Flag Laws

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released the following statement after the budget proposal from Gov. Walz included funding for implementing:

• Legislation that would require background checks on all gun sales; and
• Extreme Risk Protection Order legislation.

Details can be found on page 33 here.

“The governor is walking the walk,” said Erin Zamoff, volunteer leader with the Minnesota chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “Across party lines, the vast majority of Minnesotans support these public safety measures, and once again, the governor is showing they are a priority for him, too.”

Polling conducted in 2018 by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune found that nine in 10 Minnesotans support criminal background checks on all gun sales. Additional polling last year found 87 percent of Minnesotans support temporarily blocking a person from having guns if there are clear red flags that the person poses a threat to self or others.

The first 10 bills introduced in the Minnesota House this year included:

• Legislation requiring background checks on all gun sales. A recent Everytown investigation uncovered that 28,818 ads were posted in Minnesota in 2018 for firearm sales that had no legal requirement for a background check.
• Red Flag legislation that would allow family members and law enforcement to petition a court for an Extreme Risk Protection Order temporarily restricting a person’s access to firearms when there is evidence that they pose a threat to self or others.

Background check and Red Flag bills have also been introduced in the Minnesota Senate.