We have the capability to more thoroughly track the history of gun possession and their history of use during the commission of a crime, but many police agencies throughout the state don’t effectively share this information with one another. Minnesota lawmakers are hoping to mandate an improved gun history sharing process so that law enforcement can better understand how illegal weapons are moving and being used in criminal activity.
According to State Senator Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, 40 percent of all Minnesota law enforcement agencies do not use a federal database to track the history of guns that have been used during the commission of a violent crime. Of those that do use the ATF e-trace system, only 13 percent of those law enforcement agencies share information with each other. Senator Latz said that he plans to introduce a bill that would make it mandatory for all Minnesota law enforcement agencies to use the federal database and share that information with one another.
“That would require all agencies when they’re coming across firearms used in the commission of a crime, or they suspect was used in the commission of a crime, that they go into the e-trace system and they enter the firearm data,” said Latz. “And, a new agency comes across that gun in the commission of a crime it will make it easier to find out what happened to that gun, who had it, and help solve that crime.”
Enhanced Gun Tracing
The proposal seems like a no brainer, but it would likely come with additional costs and training sessions that need to be accounted for as the state attempts to improve gun tracing mechanics across the state. It seems like many law enforcement agencies would be on board with the change, as it should only help to make their job easier
“I mean, this is a good tool. It works. It works nationwide,” said Former Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek, whose former agency used the federal gun-tracking database “One gun would be used, you know, by several different individuals, sometimes dozens of them, depending if they’re in a gang or some type of criminal element, and that gun would continue to show up and show up and show up.”
Latz mentioned that he intends to introduce the legislation when state lawmakers convene early next year.
The more information we have about firearms and their use during the commission of a crime, the easier it will be to trace the path of that weapon and hold responsible parties accountable for their actions. Anyone who helped a weapon illegally move into the hands of a criminal could be more easily held accountable for their actions, and if that gets them to stop and think twice about helping someone else obtain a firearm, that’s a win for Minnesotans.
We’ll keep an eye on the proposal during the next legislative session, and in the meantime, if you need help fighting a weapon’s charge or similar criminal matter, reach out to Avery and the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
