Prof. Megan Walsh Interviewed by KARE News About Minnesota AG’s Release of Documents in Fleet Farm Firearm Settlement

Professor Megan Walsh, director of Minnesota Law’s Gun Violence Prevention Clinic, was interviewed by KARE News about the hundreds of documents that were made public this week as part of a settlement with Fleet Farm to resolve a lawsuit alleging the retailer negligently sold firearms to straw purchasers. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison released 694 internal documents, including training materials and a warning from a Fleet Farm employee about the man convicted for his connection to the illegal purchase of multiple firearms, including one used in the 2021 deadly Truck Park Bar shooting in St. Paul. The Gun Violence Prevention Clinic served as co-counsel in this case. The clinic's law students provided legal support in the case, including handling discovery disputes, helping with witness depositions and attending multiple hearings and settlement conferences. Regarding the release of documents, Prof. Walsh said, “This case demonstrates that litigation is a powerful tool to bring transparency and accountability to the firearms industry at a time when the federal government has pulled back on oversight. Internal documents that would have stayed buried are now public, and a company that ignored its own employee’s warning about straw purchasing has been forced to change the way it sells firearms.”