Minnesota lawmakers are calling for mandatory gun tracing for law enforcement

State Senator Ron Latz (DFL – St. Louis Park) told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that 40% of all law enforcement agencies in Minnesota do not use a federal database to track the history of weapons used to commit violent crimes.

Of the 40% that use the ATF E-Trace system, only 13% of these law enforcement agencies share the information with each other, according to Latz.

Latz said he would introduce a bill that would require all law enforcement agencies in Minnesota to use the federal database and share the information.

“That would require that all authorities, when they come across firearms that have been used in the commission of a crime, or if they suspect that they have been used in the commission of a crime, go into the E-Trace system and the firearm data “Enter,” said Latz. “And if a new agency comes across that weapon while committing a crime, it will be easier to figure out what happened to that weapon, who had it, and help solve the crime.”

Former Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek said his department uses the federal gun tracking database and making it mandatory would be a positive step.

“I mean, this is a good tool. It works. It works nationwide,” said Stanek. “A gun, as you know, would be used by several different people, sometimes dozens, depending on whether they were in a gang or a criminal group, and that gun would keep showing up and showing up and showing up. ”

Latz plans to introduce the bill when the state legislature meets early next year.