Scribbling in a notebook, the 23-year-old made a chilling observation: “If I did do something, they’d say it was obvious in hindsight.”
Last week, the Minneapolis resident drove to Annunciation Church, where students from the church’s school had gathered for Mass on the first day of classes after summer break, and fired through narrow stained-glass windows. Two children died, and 21 children and adults were hurt, some critically.
Minnesota is the latest of 21 states to enact laws that allow citizens and police to petition for emergency removal of firearms from a person showing signs of crisis, or from people deemed a threat to others. Minnesota’s legislation was signed into law in May 2023.
Why We Wrote This
Red flag laws are designed to stop potential gun violence by people deemed a threat to themselves or others. The Minnesota shooter’s intentions weren’t known until it was too late, leading some to lament missed clues.
Police say that an emergency risk protection order was not sought for the suspect, nor did this person have a criminal record. Shortly before the attack, the shooter posted on social media a diary and a manifesto that indicated hate and the potential for violence.
The chorus of concern after the shooting serves as a reminder not only that Americans aren’t powerless in the face of pervasive gun violence, but also that red flag laws are only effective when people speak up. For many here, there is a sense that there may have been missed clues that could have been used to disarm the person under the new law. The investigation is ongoing.
“A crisis was enough to push them over the edge,” says Chris Carita, a former police officer and a senior trainer at 97Percent, a nonprofit that helps law enforcement use what are commonly referred to as red flag laws. “They didn’t get the help they needed or the intervention that they needed.”
The philosophical core of the laws is that they exhibit not only concern for public safety but also empathy for people in distress who may be leaving clues of potential deadly intent.
“It’s an individual tool that people and families can use, but the bigger and more challenging task is making sure that folks understand it and know how to use it,” says Minnesota state Rep. Emma Greenman.
Uncertainty about how to use the law
Originated in Connecticut, red flag laws have been passed in several states like Minnesota – generally liberal, but with a strong gun rights tradition in rural areas. Two conservative states – Florida and Indiana – have also passed such laws.
For about every 20 such orders, one person’s life is saved, estimates one study of suicides in which a gun was used. Another study found California’s red flag law likely stopped dozens of mass shootings.
In some cases, would-be shooters drop clues to their intent because they are, in fact, eager for someone to stop them, says Mr. Carita. Conversely, failure to confront someone who is dropping hints can be seen as “moral forgiveness” that helps create permission, he adds.
In one example, the Minnesota shooter wrote, “I have been showing signs for a while, I need to be stopped!”
Yet the laws can be confounding, as they present ethical quandaries.
“A lot of people don’t know what to look for, and even if they notice something, they don’t know what to do about it,” says Rob Doar, senior vice president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus.
In most states’ laws, the process plays out in civil court, where a person can argue why they should be allowed to keep their firearms. But since such measures could turn up evidence of other gun law violations, a petition stands a chance of landing someone in criminal trouble before any other crime has been committed.
That’s why, in most states, law enforcement initiates most red flag petitions. Police in Minnesota have rapidly stepped up the use of the law in the last six months. There were 11 petitions filed in all of 2024 in St. Paul, Minnesota, for example, compared with 20 so far in 2025.
“I’ve heard of family members worried about consequences to their relationship if they take this extraordinary measure, but what they can do is just call the police,” says Ramsey County, Minnesota, Attorney John Choi. “Usually when someone does this, it’s out of love.”
Minnesota Rep. Ethan Cha became one of the first citizens to engage the law when a relative started exhibiting signs of an escalating crisis, leading to removal of their guns.
In other cases, the law has been used when someone is identified as a potential public threat. In Eden Prairie, Minnesota, it was used to remove weapons from a man who threatened police officers. It was also used last year to disarm a man who had been seen walking down the street with a gun, having hallucinations.
“People could use [it] against you”
Still, most of Minnesota’s 87 counties have yet to use the law. In rural Red Wing, Minnesota, few people approached by the Monitor were aware of it, including several people attending a weekly protest.
Holding a “We need gun control” sign, Red Wing resident Debbie House says she had no idea that citizens could petition courts for gun removal. Ms. House says she feels it could have helped her nephew, who threatened to kill himself weeks before taking a gun into the woods and ending his life.
Patrik Jonsson/The Christian Science Monitor
Red Wing resident Donovan Strom says he understands why people and police may be hesitant to use the law, especially in a fairly conservative, pro-gun rural area. “It could be a tool that people could use against you if they don’t like you,” says Mr. Strom.
Gun rights activists agree, arguing that red flag laws are ripe for exploitation.
“The law was being sold as a tool for families to help loved ones in crisis, but when you dig into the data, it’s generally law enforcement using it in situations that would have otherwise required a warrant,” says Mr. Doar.
Minnesotans like Representative Greenman don’t think red flag laws are enough. Gov. Tim Walz has vowed to call the Legislature into special session to consider banning the kind of military-grade rifle used in the assault at Annunciation Church.
But as such measures face political hurdles, red flag laws continue to evolve. Illinois is in the midst of a billboard campaign to raise awareness of how to use the law. In Maryland, half of all petitions are now signed by civilians rather than by law enforcement.
In some cases, flags can be raised regardless of state law. Families in Maine filed a federal lawsuit this week against the U.S. military, alleging that the Army knew enough to take actions that could have prevented a deadly 2023 shooting by a reservist.
For some, the growing use of red flag laws is part of a shift in how police and broader society view armed Americans going through personal crises or threatening a spouse or family member – prioritizing the saving of lives over prosecution.
“It’s very easy to say [the Minnesota shooter] was a monster, but this person was someone’s child who came to be capable of this kind of carnage,” says Mr. Carita. “That’s a long road, and there are almost always warning signs along the way.”
