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Background Checks and Permits for All Gun Sales

  • Background checks and permits for ALL gun sales were passed by the Minnesota legislature and signed into law by Governor Walz.
    • Comprehensive background checks will prevent prohibited buyers from purchasing a gun. Now law, this legislation would close the loophole that allowed those who couldn’t legally purchase a gun from doing so anyway from a private dealer.
  • 92% of Minnesotans support background checks on firearm purchases.
  • 80% of gun owners strongly support them.
  • 2,270 gun sales were denied in Minnesota in 2021 under the previous system that doesn’t require background checks.
  • Now law, Minnesota will require people who buy guns in private sales to undergo background checks or present transfer permits.
  • Studies show that permit-to-purchase requirements in addition to background checks are associated with a reduction in gun violence.
  • Studies have shown that, in Connecticut, a state that has a permit-to-purchase law, firearm homicides have decreased by 40% and suicide rates have decreased by 15% because of these laws.
  • A combination of these two laws helps monitor and keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn’t be in possession of them.

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Sources

*2020-2021 NICS Operations Report. (2020). Federal Bureau of Investigation. https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/nics-2020-2021-operations- report.pdf/view (2,270 denials in 2021)

**Rudolph, K. E., Stuart, E. A., Vernick, J. S., Webster, D. W. (2015). Association Between Connecticut’s Permit-to-Purchase Handgun Law and Homicides. American Journal of Public Health. ‌https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.30270320

Crifasi, C. K., Meyers, J. S., Vernick, J. S., & Webster, D. W. (2015). Effects of changes in permit-to-purchase handgun laws in Connecticut and Missouri on suicide rates. Preventive Medicine, 79, 43–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2015.07.013

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Duluth Roundtable

Please join Protect Minnesota later this month in Duluth for an important conversation. As we’re gearing up for the 2023 elections and the 2024 legislative session, it’s more important than ever that the gun violence prevention community has the chance to connect with each other, share our priorities, and voice our hopes for the coming months and years.

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Protesters advocating for gun violence reduction and gun law reform.

2023 Legislative Successes

We are thrilled to announce the passage in Minnesota of Extreme Risk Protection Orders, Universal Background Checks, and a 71 million dollar investment in community violence intervention. These vital gun violence prevention measures all passed in the public safety omnibus bill during the 2023 Minnesota legislative session.

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