Lessons Learned from George Floyd: Firearm Training on the Rise in Minneapolis

Minneapolis-area gun store and range owners are reporting increasing sales and class sizes due to the ongoing anti-ICE upheaval.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’hara says his department is understaffed and overwhelmed, having to deal with the “chaos” of Operation Metro Surge, the immigration sweep that’s directed 3,000 federal agents into the city and sparked numerous violent clashes between protesters and agents.

Meanwhile, shop owners say their customers feel as if they’re watching a movie they saw in the summer of 2020. For these folks, the lessons of the George Floyd protests turned riots nearly six years ago have not gone unheeded.

“The George Floyd riots are still a deep scar around here,” said Mike Briggs, owner of Minnesota Firearms & Range. “People truly feel like they’re on their own.” Gun sales, range use, and classes are all up about 50%, according to Briggs. “Renee Good happened, and immediately things changed, like that day.”

37-year-old Renee Good was fatally shot in Minneapolis during a clash with ICE agents on January 7.

David Taylor, CEO of Stock & Barrel Gun Club, said “memberships and range use have increased,” and class sizes are “2 to 4 times bigger depending on location.”

John Monson, owner of Bill’s Gun Shop and Range, said his classes are up 40% since the ICE protests kicked off. “We are seeing both new gun owners and a bunch of 5-year renewals from the George Floyd-era come in for training,” Monson said. As for their motivation, some of his customers cite the summer of 2020, anticipating slow police response times - or worse.

Slow or nonexistent police response was so ubiquitous during the George Floyd riots that it led City Council members to openly question whether police were deliberately pulling back. Council member Phillipe Cunningham reported an “overwhelming number” of people who received no police response to gun violence. Council President Lisa Bender said she heard from several wards that police were telling residents, in effect, “We’re not coming.” It even led some residents to sue.

There is no better illustration of this overall sense of abandonment and helplessness than the burning of Minneapolis’ 3rd Police Precinct on May 28, 2020. It remains vacant 5 years later.

“It was really scary when the third precinct was burning down, and the police were instructed to leave rather than protect it. Imagine how scary it would be to live in that community and watch the police leave town,” said Briggs.

Briggs said it’s that sentiment that’s driving the increase at his shop. “The majority of the 50% uptick is urban and inner-city residents,” many of whom are seeing “chaos outside their windows.” Another new contingent is the “teachers and more liberal types” who come in looking to purchase their first gun and receive training.

Perhaps surprisingly, Briggs estimates that about 1 in 4 students are themselves protesters. “We even had one woman attend our class with her whistle and mask on.” However, these protesters are not seeking training to confront ICE; rather, they are seeking training to protect themselves from what Briggs refers to as “the antagonizers.” The fringe element in a protest to stoke violence and cause chaos.

As Briggs puts it, “You never really know who the antagonizers are until the switch gets flipped and they start getting violent.” The “protesters in my classes are fearful of getting caught up” in that.

Erin Gittins, a single mom living alone with her kids northwest of the city, is among Briggs’ newcomers to firearms and training. Concerned that the ICE protests could escalate into something looking like the George Floyd riots, Gittins obtained her Minnesota Permit to Carry after completing class at Minnesota Firearms & Range.

“I remember the police precinct was burned down, and they got no support from the governor or mayor. If they couldn’t get support, why would I expect to?” Gittins remarked. “I’m not afraid of ICE. It’s the protests and the protesters agitating ICE trying to do their jobs,” she added. “The governor and mayor are freely saying ICE get out. They’re escalating things here.”

Gittins’ fears are not without merit. At least 50 were arrested over the weekend after protests escalated at a federal building just outside the city.