Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has joined a coalition of 22 attorneys general in supporting the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) rule aimed at preventing illegal gun trafficking. The rule requires private gun sellers to obtain a license and conduct background checks on potential buyers. This multistate coalition filed an amicus brief in Texas v. ATF, arguing that the ATF’s rule is essential for public safety and preventing dangerous individuals from obtaining guns illegally.
"My mission to help Minnesotans live with dignity, safety, and respect, and gun trafficking is a threat to everyone’s safety," said Attorney General Ellison. "If you need to pass a background check to buy a gun from a store, you should have to pass a background check to buy a gun from a private seller too. This is a common-sense rule that vast majorities of Minnesotans and Americans support. It will save lives by reducing gun trafficking and keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people."
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), enacted after mass shootings in Buffalo, NY, and Uvalde, Texas, closed loopholes that allowed criminals to obtain guns without background checks. The law expanded the definition of gun sellers to include more private sellers under federal licensing and background check requirements.
Ellison highlighted incidents such as the mass shooting at a bar in St. Paul, Minnesota; the murder of a Chicago Police officer; and another mass shooting at a block party in Brooklyn as examples where trafficked guns were used for violence. He argues that unlicensed sales by private sellers make it easier for those who cannot legally purchase firearms to obtain them.
Joining Attorney General Ellison are New York Attorney General Letitia James and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, along with attorneys general from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey North Carolina Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island Vermont Washington Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.