A coalition of lawmakers and gun safety advocates are hoping to pass a bill this session that would address the safe storage of firearms, and would require anyone who notices a gun has been lost or stolen to report it within 48 hours.
Monica Jones' 17-year old son was accidentally shot and killed after a 15-year old friend found a gun and brought it over to her house.
"The gun was not properly stored, locked or secured," explains Jones". "There was no report that was made, that it was lost or stolen. Safe storage of a firearm that was brought into the home could have saved my son's life."
The group Protect Minnesota says an average of 117 people die from gun violence each day, including 569 Minnesotans in 2022.
The group is hoping to build upon the stronger gun laws that were passed last legislative session according to State Representative Kaohly Vang Her (DFL- St. Paul).
"We don't want to punish people, what we want to do is encourage people to be a part of a system that is for this," says Her. "So, if you report it and something happens and it's used in, you know, in an incident, then you're not held responsible for that. We think that's really important."
Last year the Legislature enacted universal background checks among other initiatives. Her says this is not a Republican or a Democratic issue and she's optimistic the bill will pass.