Minnesota saw a 90% increase in newly issued firearm permits last year, highlighting concerns from residents about law and order during a period of historic social unrest.
According to data released by the state, 96,554 new handgun permits were issued in 2020, an increase of nearly 45,000 compared to the year before. Eighty thousand of those permits were for new gun owners altogether. Almost half of those permits were for residents in metro areas.
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“911 calls were going unanswered. People came to the realization that law enforcement couldn’t be everywhere all of the time,” Dakota County Sheriff Tim Leslie told the Star Tribune. “Law enforcement was pushed to the brink. People were wondering if they might need to take the law into their own hands.”
The numbers out of Minnesota follow a broader trend nationally, with more people buying firearms than at any time in the country’s history.
In February, the FBI recorded nearly 3.5 million firearm background checks — the highest on record. The month prior saw more than 4.3 million checks, another record as well.
“We’re in the midst of an interesting paradigm: We have a president who is a lap dog to the anti-gun lobby, while 7 million Americans became new gun owners in the last nine months,” gun industry expert Justin Anderson told the Washington Examiner earlier this week. “President Biden has put forth one of the most anti-Second Amendment agendas I’ve ever seen, states are already scrambling to pass laws to resist any new federal gun laws, and people see their rights in jeopardy like never before.”
In total, analysts believe 21 million background checks were performed in 2020, constituting a 60% raise over 2019.
Minneapolis is currently gearing up for the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer accused of killing George Floyd. City Mayor Jacob Frey has requested the National Guard to maintain a presence for the duration of the trial in hopes of quelling any potential violence.
Following the riots last summer, Minneapolis sustained tens of millions of dollars in damage as protests against Floyd’s death quickly turned violent.
Violent crime soared by over 20% in Minneapolis last year. Five hundred fifty-three people were shot in 2020, the most seen in at least 15 years.
At the same time, the City Council debated disbanding the Minneapolis Police Department altogether.
“Minneapolis residents are imagining a comprehensive public safety approach that is more effective and more reflective of our values, and they are calling on the city to act,” Councilman Steve Fletcher said in February. “This charter amendment creates a structure that supports that vision and allows our city to innovate.”
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Rising crime and anti-police rhetoric from politicians and activists have greatly demoralized law enforcement in Minneapolis. At one point, the department saw 200 fewer officers on staff as normal.
Despite efforts to, in the words of some local lawmakers, “reimagine” policing, the City Council recently approved $6.4 million in new funding to hire dozens of more police officers. That measure came after the City Council voted in December to strip the police department budget of $8 million, although Frey vowed to veto any cuts.
