TV Station: Minnesota Not Enforcing Domestic Abuse Gun Law

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A Minneapolis TV station says Minnesota courts appear to be doing a lackluster job of making sure guns are seized from abusers in domestic violence cases.

KARE-TV examined data when following up on a 2014 law that allows judges to issue an Order for Protection if domestic abuse has occurred. The order requires that alleged abusers transfer or surrender weapons and file an affidavit detailing where the guns went.

The TV station's examination of individual domestic violence cases found that officials rarely follow up to ensure orders are obeyed.

Records show that the state had nearly 3,000 Order for Protection cases in 2016 and only 119 had a firearm transfer affidavits filed in court. The court system didn't release data on how many of these cases involved abusers with firearms.