Minnesota Settles Lawsuit Against Fleet Farm Over Illegal Gun Sales

(KNSI) — The Minnesota Attorney General’s office announced Tuesday it had reached a settlement with Fleet Farm over allegations the retailer negligently sold firearms to straw purchasers.

The lawsuit was filed in October 2022, claiming Fleet Farm ignored warning signs and sold guns to those who were buying them on behalf of someone, such as a person not allowed to own a gun. Ellison says employees sold 37 guns to two people over 16 months, and one of those guns was used in a shooting at a St. Paul bar that left one person dead and 14 others injured.

A press release from the AG’s office says employees missed red flags like buyers using cash and someone purchasing multiple firearms at once. A check of Minnesota’s gun statutes does not show buying multiple handguns or long guns at one time from a store that holds a Federal Firearms License is against the law, provided the person making the purchase has a permit to do so and has passed all required background checks and waiting periods.

Court documents revealed that a Fleet Farm store manager had flagged concerns about straw purchasing to the company’s compliance staff in July 2021, but had never received a response. Those employees are accused of later using those same suspicious sales as examples of “pretty obvious” red flags in internal training materials.

The suit was expanded in June of 2024, accusing the store of violating the Minnesota Gun Control Act, which prohibits a gun dealer from selling to someone who makes an obvious false statement to obtain the weapon. Critics blasted the filing, arguing neither Fleet Farm nor its employees should be held accountable if a buyer passes all required checks and shows no indicators of being a straw purchaser. They called it unrealistic to hold gun sellers responsible under those circumstances.

In a statement, Attorney General Keith Ellison said Fleet Farm “put the lives of Minnesotans in danger by ignoring clear warning signs and selling guns to straw buyers. Today’s settlement forces the company to significantly change their internal policies to protect the people of Minnesota.”

Under the consent judgment filed in federal court, Fleet Farm must enact several policy changes, including updated employee training, unannounced compliance checks, software to track firearm sales across locations, stricter discipline for employees who miss warning signs, and a system to flag sales linked to guns recovered from crime scenes. The retailer must also pay the state $1 million.

U.S. District Judge John Tunheim had previously rejected Fleet Farm’s attempt to have the case dismissed, noting that the majority of the 37 firearms at the center of the lawsuit remain unaccounted for and pose “an ongoing public safety threat to Minnesotans.”

Within 60 days of court approval, Ellison’s office will release internal Fleet Farm documents that turned up in its investigation, including deposition transcripts and expert reports.

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