Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara shared some very candid thoughts on guns Tuesday.
Speaking to WCCO's Adam and Jordana, O'Hara started by saying he believes firmly in the 2nd Amendment and the "Right to Bear Arms".
Still, he is admitting there are just far too many guns on the street.
"Is this really civilized, to be living in a society like this that's just so awash in guns, with so much harm being caused in our community," asks O'Hara.
O'Hara explained that his officers are working hard to get the guns off the street, with the goal of keeping people safe and alive. He says the research points to tougher gun laws keeping numbers down.
"It is simply a fact that the more guns there are in circulation, the more guns that will wind up being used in suicides. The more guns that will be available to be stolen. The more guns that will be available to be used in crimes," says Chief O'Hara.
In 2023, the ATF found that 54% of traced crime guns were recovered by law enforcement more than three years after their purchase. Those guns were legally purchased, but were later used in crimes, the report indicated.
In five years, there were more than 1 million firearms stolen from private citizens and reported to authorities according to ATF data.
O'Hara added that in a country that already had more guns than people, issues of public safety and the COVID-19 pandemic lead to a large increase in gun sales across the country and especially in Minneapolis where fear rose after civil unrest and riots following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin.
"Here, in our city, it got particularly worse in 2020," says O'Hara. "There are a lot more people with guns today simply because they're scared. It becomes a cycle that really reinforces itself, and we see that in the numbers. Every week here, we see a dozen or more firearms reported stolen in the city."
O'Hara says Minneapolis and the Twin Cities see a vast majority of guns that were used in crimes were initiated from legal purchases in the state. He says un-serialized guns and ghost guns are nowhere near as prevalent compared to other urban areas around the country.
"We have a little bit of that but nowhere near that simply because there's so many regular guns in circulation that are available much cheaper," he said.
According to ATF data, gun production in the U.S. has increased dramatically as have gun imports. That is especially true of handguns which tripled in production since 2010.