The University of Minnesota and high school students are working together with the state legislature to target legal loopholes to improve gun safety in Minnesota schools. 

Jenny Wen, a student at Columbia University, is part of a student-led policy group working with state Rep. Julie Greene (DFL), to draft a new gun safety bill for the upcoming legislative session.

“This isn’t about taking away anyone’s guns,” Wen said. “It’s about addressing the reality of gun theft, accidental access and impulsive violence.”

The bill would establish uniform requirements for securely storing firearms in vehicles parked on all school property. 

It also extends those requirements to Minnesota State High School League-sanctioned events and removes a provision allowing principals to give individuals permission to carry firearms inside school facilities.

Fourth-year Matthew Smeaton said he remembers sitting on a school bus years ago when a tree branch scraped across the windows. A friend jumped, thinking it was gunfire.

“That always stuck out to me just because of how ridiculous it is that we have to live in a world where that’s a concern kids have,” Smeaton said.

Now, Smeaton and other students are working with Greene on a proposed gun safety bill. 

Though the bill is still being revised by nonpartisan legislative staff, the group says the goal is a common-sense policy that most people can agree on.

“We joked about calling it the ‘Come On, Guys’ bill,” Smeaton said. “It’s mostly something everyone can agree on.”

Smeaton said it aims to address gun violence in a way that avoids extremes.

“A lot of important change happens at the local level,” Smeaton said. “I wasn’t familiar with how things get done before this, and I’m very thankful to learn how the sausage gets made.”

Logan Bracken, a senior at Edina High School, joined Greene’s office after meeting her through a school program.

“I’m really passionate about public policy,” Bracken said. “It sounds cliché, but I do want to make an impact in my community.”

Bracken referenced a case where a student took a gun from an unlocked vehicle in a school parking lot and used it to take his own life.

“It’s insane to even say that out loud,” Bracken said. “It shows how avoidable some of these tragedies are. We’re not asking people to give up their guns, just to secure them.”

Wen said the group was motivated by data showing that firearms left unsecured in vehicles have become a major source of stolen guns nationwide. According to Everytown Research:

• More than 350,000 firearms are stolen annually in the U.S.
• At least one unsecured gun is stolen from a car every nine minutes.
• Gun thefts from vehicles tripled between 2013 and 2023.

Wen said Minnesota law currently bans firearms at school-sanctioned events such as football games, but includes a “major loophole” in that individuals may carry a firearm if they obtain permission from a principal.

“Generally, there’s no legitimate reason someone needs to bring a gun to a school football game,” Wen said. “Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean it’s safe.”

The group has received some public criticism. Wen said the chair of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus called her position “emotional” and lacking grounding in current law. 

“We want to make it exceedingly clear we’re not targeting peaceful, responsible gun owners,” Wen said. “If your gun gets stolen from your car and used in a violent act, you can be held responsible, and no responsible gun owner wants that.”