Bob CollinsWith little fanfare or attention today, a Minnesota House committee defeated an attempt to close the so-called “gun show loophole” in the state.
The bill would have required background checks for people who buy guns at gun shows. It failed in the House Crime Victims/Criminal Records Division on a 5-to-3 vote.
According to Session Daily:
Rep. Paul Kohls (R-Victoria) and Rep. Dave Olin (DFL-Thief River Falls) said no evidence was presented showing a definitive connection between gun show sales and crimes with a firearm.
That’s true. But why is that? One reason might be because Minnesota doesn’t track the origin of guns used in crimes, according to a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety. If guns bought at gun shows are used in crimes, there isn’t a mechanism for knowing it or how often (or not) it happens.
Only in some high-profile case would such a connection occur.
One did in 2003 when a woman bought a gun at a gun show, then used it to shoot two people — killing one — in Hennepin County Government Center.
Opponents of the bill said a background check wouldn’t have prevented the woman from buying the gun.
