By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Minnesota Democrats joined with gun prohibitionists at the State Capitol in St. Paul demanding more gun control laws, despite the fact that the killer—identified as Shannon Gooden, 38—was a convicted felon who could not legally own or possess firearms.
Gooden took his own life after gunning down Officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, and paramedic Adam Finseth. According to KNSI News, Minnesota lawmakers have already passed an extreme risk protection order (“red flag”) law, but gun control proponents at Protect Minnesota want more gun laws, even though the current ones did not prevent Gooden from being armed.
Interestingly, Protect Minnesota Executive Director Maggiy Emery stated at a press conference that in 2022, Minnesota saw 569 people die due to “gun violence.”
But that number is deceptive, because 407 of those deaths were suicides, not homicides. Eight of the 147 remaining gun-related deaths were “law enforcement intervention” fatalities, the report said.
Gooden had a history of problems, according to the local Fox News affiliate. His record included an August 2007 arrest and conviction for felony assault. In that incident, he allegedly pulled a knife on family members after being kicked out of a shopping mall.
In February 2005, he was arrested for disorderly conduct, domestic assault and interference with a 911 call. Two months before that, in December 2004, Gooden was arrested and convicted of misdemeanor disorderly conduct.
KSTP News said Gooden fired several shots in what began as a domestic disturbance at approximately 2 a.m. Feb. 18. It is not clear what led Gooden to fire at the responding officers.
Published reports say Protect Minnesota wants at least three more gun control laws, including a requirement to report lost or stolen firearms within 48 hours of when the loss is discovered, plus a “safe storage” law and the “investment” of federal funds in violence prevention efforts.
There is no indication that any of these proposed laws would have prevented the fatal incident.
