Saving Lives in Minnesota: Policies to Reduce Gun Violence

The Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions at the Bloomberg School of Public Health has released a new roadmap to help assist Minnesota legislators in reducing gun violence in the state. The release comes less than two months after a shooter killed two students and injured dozens of others at a Minneapolis Catholic school, and nearly five months after the tragic shootings involving Minnesota Representative Melissa Hortman, State Senator John Hoffman and their spouses. Gun deaths have steadily increased over the past decade in Minnesota, with an alarming 525 Minnesotans dying from firearm violence in 2023.   

“Minnesota is consistently ranked among the best states to live in. Yet even their communities are not immune from gun violence,” says Kelly Roskam, JD, Director of Law and Policy at the Center, co-author of the report and a Minnesota native. “This guide lays out crucial steps that Minnesota legislators must take to save lives.” 

The report offers data-backed recommendations that authors say state legislators should adopt to save lives. While not an exhaustive list, enacting these evidence-based policies will help to reduce the burden of gun violence in the state. 

"We know one person dies from gun violence every seventeen hours in Minnesota. That’s simply too many lives lost to a bullet," says Ethan Bartlett, MSPH ‘24, research data analyst at the Center, and lead author of the report. “We believe these recommendations will aid Minnesota lawmakers and practitioners in their efforts to address this public health crisis.”  

Authors have divided recommendations into six main categories: 

1. Adopt a general secure storage requirement
2. Strengthen the Firearm Purchaser Licensing process
3. Strengthen public carry restrictions and regulations
4. Improve domestic violence firearm removal and relinquishment processes
5. Prohibit the manufacture, sale, transfer, and possession of large capacity magazines
6. Create an office of gun violence prevention 

READ FULL MINNESOTA ROADMAPDOWNLOAD MINNESOTA POLICY CHECKLIST  READ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

“Gun violence is shattering families and communities across Minnesota,” said Maggiy Emery, Executive Director of Protect Minnesota. “From our schools and places of worship to our homes and neighborhoods, Minnesotans are grieving losses that never should have happened. We know there are proven, effective steps our lawmakers can take to save lives – and this new roadmap offers a clear path to make our state safer. Together, we can build a Minnesota where every family feels secure and every child has the chance to grow up free from the threat of gun violence.” 

This is the third in a series of state policy roadmaps the Center has released. Read the Michigan report here and the Illinois report here.