Nonprofit: Let's get the guns out of the hands of domestic abusers
City and county leaders to focus its efforts on enforcing already existing gun laws
Getting guns out of the hands of domestic abusers is the next step of a St. Paul-based nonprofit aimed at reducing domestic violence, the group’s director said Thursday.
Leaders of the St. Paul Ramsey County Domestic Abuse Intervention Project, which launched the St. Paul Blueprint for Safety in 2010, said it will work with city and county leaders to enforce existing gun laws.
Shelly Cline, executive director of the group, said the annual event had several missions.
“It's generally a three-pronged event. It's to honor the victims and the survivors and the reason why we do this work because that's what grounds us,” Cline said. “The second thing is to talk about and celebrate the accomplishments we've made, and the third thing is to really identify and commit to the things we still have to do.”
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And that’s where the focused on firearms comes in.
St. Paul’s Blueprint for Safety Steering committee will create a model for Firearms Prohibition for Perpetrators of Domestic Violence, she said.
The model will be based on the Blueprint for Safety, which coordinates efforts between law enforcement, social service providers and prosecuting attorneys to protect people experiencing domestic violence.
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said officers must recognize the early warning signs of abusers and what needs to be done when it comes to firearms.
“We've learned is there are always warning signs,” he said. “We need to have the Legislature pass red flag laws this next spring so that we can make sure we're taking guns out of the hands of potential criminals.”
Red flag laws allow police or family member to ask for a court order to take away a gun from a person who presents a danger to others or themselves. Since August, 17 states and the District of Columbia have passed some form of such laws. Minnesota has not.
The firearm model aims to enforce already existing laws and focus on closing the gap between the number of orders for protection issued and the number of firearms removed from potential perpetrators.
A law passed in 2014 requires perpetrators of domestic abuse to turn over firearms but since 2015 only 8 percent have done so. This initiative aims to further enforce that law.
According to a report by Violence Free Minnesota,14 Minnesotans have died to date this year as a result of domestic violence. Eight of whom were shot to death. In 2018. 14 Minnesotans were killed as a result of domestic violence.