
Attorney General Keith Ellison (D-MN)
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said a federal judge has ruled his lawsuit will proceed against Fleet Farm.
The lawsuit alleges the retailer negligently sold guns to straw purchasers – including one used in a 2021 mass shooting at a St. Paul bar that killed one person and injured 14 others.
Ellison said the court rejecting Fleet Farm’s motion to dismiss the state’s lawsuit is an important step toward ensuring gun dealers are held accountable if they ignore obvious red flags and sell to straw purchasers.
Ellison alleges Fleet Farm sold at least 37 firearms to two straw purchasers over 16 months, often selling multiple guns in single transactions or over very short periods of time.
Straw purchases happen when someone buys a gun for someone else who is unable to legally purchase a firearm.
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