AG Keith Ellison Accuses Fleet Farm Of Contributing To Gun Trafficking

ST. PAUL, MN — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison Wednesday filed a lawsuit against Fleet Farm, accusing the chain of negligently selling firearms to straw purchasers and contributing to gun trafficking in Minnesota.

According to Ellison, Fleet Farm ignored red flags and sold at least 37 guns to two straw purchasers over the course of 16 months.

A straw purchaser is someone who buys a gun for somebody else who is prohibited by law from possessing one, or for a person who does not want to be traced back to the transaction.

If convicted as a straw purchaser, a person faces 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

According to the lawsuit, one of the guns Fleet Farm sold was fired in a shootout at the Seventh Street Truck Park on Oct. 10, 2021. The shooting ended in the death of 27-year-old Marquisha Wiley and injuries to 14 bystanders.

Another gun that Fleet Farm sold to this same straw purchaser was found by a 6-year-old boy in front of his home on Sept. 6, 2021, according to Ellison.

"Gun dealers and retailers have a duty to be the first line of defense against people who try to illegally obtain guns and provide them directly to criminals or blindly resell them for profit on the black market," Ellison said in a news release.

"But instead of fulfilling their legal obligation to detect and prevent straw purchases, Fleet Farm ignored multiple red flags: they took money from straw purchasers and looked the other way. They put their own profit over Minnesotans’ safety. "

In response to the lawsuit, Fleet Farm emailed Patch the following statement:

Jon Austin, a spokesman for Fleet Farm, told Patch in an email that We strongly disagree with the Attorney General’s lawsuit. We comply with all applicable gun laws and devote substantial resources to training and compliance.

It is disappointing that Attorney General Ellison filed his complaint without ever once talking to us.

It’s also worth noting that at the time of the tragic shooting in Saint Paul described in the Attorney General’s complaint, we were told by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms that our team members had “done nothing wrong” and had complied with all applicable gun laws.

We are confident that we will prevail in this matter.

Ellison is asking for injunctive relief, including increased training for Fleet Farm workers on straw purchasers, and the disgorgement of Fleet Farm’s profits from sales to straw purchasers.

Read the entire lawsuit here.