Minnesota’s lawsuit against Glock may hinge on Attorney General race

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The race for attorney general could impact Minnesota’s landmark lawsuit against one of the largest gun manufacturers in the world. 

Ongoing lawsuit against Glock at stake this election cycle 

The backstory:

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is suing Glock over the design of its handgun, alleging that it can be easily modified to operate like an illegal machine gun with a conversion device known as a "switch." 

"You better believe that I defend every Minnesota law on the books to protect people from gun violence," said Ellison during a debate hosted by MPR earlier this month. "I’m actively suing Glock right now because you can put a $10 device in a Glock and convert it from a semi-automatic into a machine gun, which is illegal – I’m suing them over that."

The other side:

Glock’s attorneys have repeatedly tried to get Minnesota’s lawsuit thrown out.

The case survived those attempts, but it could face a different challenge if Ellison loses his re-election bid to Republican challenger Ron Schutz next week.

What they're saying:

During an appearance on FOX 9 All Day last week, Ron Schutz was critical of the Glock lawsuit. 

"I’ve not looked at that case, and I’ve not looked at the allegations of that case, but I think that is just an example of a political case that the Attorney General has filed because his real agenda is to make sure that law-abiding citizens don’t have handguns." 

Ellison said Schutz’s accusation is "a complete and total lie." 

"I’m a gun owner and a hunter. All I ask is that gun manufacturers abide by the same laws as everyone else," Ellison said in a statement to the FOX 9 Investigators. 

University of Minnesota law professor Richard Painter points out that "there’s nobody in this race who is saying that we ought to abolish handguns." 

Dig deeper:

 "It’s quite clear that if Schutz is elected attorney general, he will not pursue the lawsuit against Glock and he will not pursue other gun manufacturers," said Painter, who is the former chief White House ethics lawyer under President George W. Bush. 

During a candidate form back in January, Schutz said he would end the existing partnership with the gun violence prevention clinic at the University of Minnesota’s law school, which has been instrumental in the state’s litigation against the gun industry. 

The law clinic also played a key role in the state’s recent settlement with Fleet Farm. The retailer was accused of negligently selling dozens of guns to illegal straw buyers, including one firearm that later surfaced at a mass shooting in Saint Paul in 2021. 

Today the clinic is heavily involved in the ongoing lawsuit against Glock. 

"That is a judgement call to be made by the Attorney General – and if a new Attorney General chooses to drop that suit, then the resources that have been invested in it will have been to no avail," Painter said.

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