Minnesota Law launched a Gun Violence Prevention Clinic in January. The clinic is believed to be the first in-house law school clinic in the nation with a focus on promoting gun violence prevention through strategic litigation. 

The clinic utilizes student pro bonolegal work to support and litigate cases that help reduce injuries, deaths, and trauma resulting from gun violence. A three-year pilot project, the clinic seeks to spur law school and law student engagement in firearms law and the Second Amendment; establish a home for gun violence prevention litigation in the Great Lakes area; and grow the pool of litigation expertise and legal resources available for Second Amendment and gun violence prevention matters. 

“Firearms law is currently one of the most dynamic and rapidly changing areas in the law,” said Visiting Clinical Professor Megan Walsh, who serves as director of the clinic. “Yet there are not enough litigators with expertise in the field, and law schools and legal scholars are under-engaged in Second Amendment issues. The Gun Violence Prevention Clinic will contribute to bridging both of these interrelated gaps.” 

With gun-related deaths at record highs, preventing gun violence is a critically important issue in Minnesota and the nation,” said Garry W. Jenkins, dean and William S. Pattee Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota Law School. “This novel and exciting new clinic allows students to have a real-world impact on addressing the epidemic of gun violence, while honing their practical skills and developing a deep reservoir of knowledge on Second Amendment jurisprudence.” 

The Gun Violence Prevention Clinic partners with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office on Second Amendment cases and on affirmative litigation brought by the Attorney General to reduce gun violence in Minnesota. This partnership gives students the opportunity to work with the Attorney General’s office to create safer communities in Minnesota through litigation, with the students serving as Special Assistant Attorney Generals under the supervision of the clinic. 

"We all have a role to play in urgently putting an end to the epidemic of gun violence in America,” said Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison ’90. “My office has been innovating by using civil tools
to hold negligent gun sellers accountable, and this partnership is another innovation.” 

The clinic was made possible through the support of The Joyce Foundation, McKnight Foundation, and other funders. 

"We’re proud to support this new clinic and its innovative approach to keeping communities safer from gun violence, as well as training future lawyers who will likely play a critical role in litigating future Second Amendment cases," said Tim Daly, Joyce's Gun Violence Prevention and Justice Reform program director.