The University of Minnesota Law School is launching a Gun Violence Prevention Clinic in January, which will be the first in-house law school clinic in the nation with a focus on promoting gun violence prevention through strategic litigation.
“Firearms law is currently one of the most dynamic and rapidly changing areas in the law,” said Megan Walsh, who will serve 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 both of these interrelated gaps.”
Student pro bono work will be used to support and litigate cases through the clinic. The clinic will partner with the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office on Second Amendment cases, to give students the opportunity to create safer communities in Minnesota through litigation.
With a three-year pilot project, the clinic will strive to “increase 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.”
“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 at the University of Minnesota Law School in a news release. “This novel and exciting new clinic will allow 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.”
Walsh has extensive experience in the gun violence prevention movement as an attorney, community organizer and consulting attorney with Everytown Law, the largest gun violence prevention litigation team in the country.
“Litigation in this area is needed to challenge extreme gun laws, to combat the disproportionate effect of gun violence on BIPOC communities, and to provide a counterweight to the gun lobby in the courts,” Walsh said. “The Clinic’s priority will be to develop affirmative cases in consultation with Minnesota community members who live in communities that have experienced disproportionate rates of gun violence.”
