Gun-related cases running at 20-year highs in Minnesota

Minnesota prosecutors have taken aim at criminals with guns, sending more to prison for gun-related convictions than at any time in at least two decades.

In 2015 and 2016, prosecutors statewide received about 1,200 gun-related cases each year from police, according to a report from the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission. That’s up more than 50 percent from a decade earlier and more than double the cases forwarded for prosecution in 1996.

Lawmakers recently toughened the penalties for illegal possession, extending the law to bullets. Defense attorneys say that this year they’re seeing more gun charges going to trial than ever before.

The bulk of the cases come from Hennepin County, where prosecutors have collaborated with the U.S. attorney’s office to go after illegal gun possession. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman forbids prosecutors from being lenient on guns to strike plea deals.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/gun-related-cases-hit-20-year-highs-in-minnesota/458518093/