ND Attorney General Wrigley planning new legislation in response to recent shootings

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Following four reported shootings in the past few days in Fargo, North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley has a proposal that calls for tougher sentences for violent criminals.

“The last two shootings which I described, the one on Broadway and the one on North University Drive, we do have reason to believe those two shootings are related and we’re continuing to investigate those leads to try to solve that case as quickly as we can,” Fargo Police Capt. George Vinson said.

Vinson says all the people involved in the shootings from the weekend knew each other and it wasn’t just random acts of violence.

State Attorney General Drew Wrigley’s legislation would apply to someone who commits a crime while having a gun they purchased illegally.

“Let’s say they encounter a person living in his house, I break into that house, encounter a person in the house and I pull out the firearm to try and intimidate that person, I brandish the weapon, that’s an even further enhancement. Mandatory and consecutive to the sentence for the burglary,” North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said.

He says it would make violent criminals think twice since they could face longer sentences.

Wrigley calls the recent rash of shootings across the city a crisis and says he and his staff have been working on this legislation for a while.

“We will not tolerate that becoming the norm in North Dakota. We won’t. The people of this state, whether they be 4th generation or 1st generation, they’re here to take part in a dynamic and exciting economy, a great school system, safe communities and all the promise that comes with that and it’s our job to help ensure that that remains the case. There’s work to do because these trends are troubling and we’re going to nip this in the bud,” Wrigley said.

As a 2nd Amendment advocate, Wrigley says he believes criminals are getting guns illegally and doesn’t think gun control legislation would solve any issues.

“More often than not, those guns are stolen. They’re stolen in burglaries, or they’re purchased illegally from someone else who stole them. They’re in the illegal trade to begin with. The target here is violent people, people committing violent crimes and other crimes and doing it with firearms. Firearms they use to intimidate other people. Firearms they use against law enforcement and against individuals and those are firearms that are in the illegal string of commerce,” Wrigley said.

Wrigley adds legislators can make huge strides if they work together to return to the trends the city is used to seeing like less violence and threats in the community.