Presented by Everytown, Protect Minnesota and Giffords
Significant progress was made in 2023 to make Minnesota a safer place to live and raise a family. Lawmakers passed long-overdue gun violence prevention measures. Our coalition hopes to continue this momentum to see progress made on the seven issues below.
Issue 1
Expanding Medicaid to Support Violence Prevention Services
- Status: At revisor
- Bill number: NA
- Authors: Frazier; Boldon
Community firearm violence is a public health crisis that reaches across all levels of the socioeconomic spectrum. While the financial cost of firearm injuries is insurmountable, this violence hurts community safety and wellbeing. According to the Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI), 2/3rds of gunshot victims are on Medicaid or uninsured nationwide.
Issue 2
Safe Storage
Unsecured guns pose clear safety risks, particularly to children. When guns are not stored safely or securely and they are accessible to unsupervised minors, the risk of death or injury significantly increases. Hundreds of thousands of firearms are also stolen from homes, vehicles, and individuals each year, funneling guns into an underground market where many of them are sold to people who use them to commit violent crimes.
Issue 3
Lost & Stolen
Every year, hundreds of thousands of guns are lost or stolen in America, with one gun stolen from an individual owner every two minutes. Stolen guns can be diverted to the illegal gun market, where they are used to fuel crime across the country. Lost and stolen reporting laws help reduce gun trafficking by requiring individuals to report loss or theft to law enforcement shortly after discovering it.
Issue 4
Banning Guns in Spaces Central to Democracy
- Status: Language not yet drafted
- Bill number: NA
- Authors: Freiberg; Senate TBD
The mere presence of guns at or around spaces central to democracy like polling places can intimidate voters’ and citizens’ government engagement. These threats are tangible: Amid political division over past months, firearms carried by private citizens at protests have led to deadly outcomes in Kenosha, Denver, Portland, Seattle, Louisville, and more. Armed voter intimidation is at an all time high and represents a threat to our democracy.
Issue 5
Dismantling Industry Immunity Laws
- Status: Language not yet drafted
- Bill number: NA
- Authors: Pinto; Senate TBD
A federal gun industry immunity law adopted in 2005 slams courtroom doors shut on many civil claims against the gun industry. Some victims of gun violence have found state avenues to seek justice and compensation for harms caused by wrongful gun industry conduct, although often after years of long and painful litigation to affirm their right to sue the gun industry under exceptions to state and federal gun industry immunity laws. Four states have recently enacted victims’ access to justice laws that codify standards of responsible conduct for the firearm industry to ensure that more victims of gun violence can bring fair remedies in court.
Issue 6
Repeal Of & Protection Against State Preemption Laws
- Status: Language drafted and jacketed
- Bill number: NA
- Authors: Pinto; Senate TBD
Federal and state preemption laws threaten local firearm regulations and can prevent local officials from protecting their communities against gun violence. When it comes to gun violence, local laws allow local officials to address the unique dangers facing their community. When a higher level of government takes regulatory power from a lower level, it can create a dangerous gap between the people passing laws and those living with them every day.
Issue 7
Gun Violence Reduction and Victims Services Package
- Status: Language drafted
- Bill number: NA
- Authors: Frazier; Senate TBD
This bill is the result of work between senior prosecutors and national violence prevention experts. Its goal is to curb gun violence, especially for black and brown communities, and provide victims services resources that help interrupt the cycle of gun violence.
