Minnesota lawmakers introduced new legislation they say would prevent gun violence in the state on Wednesday.

The bill comes as the city of Burnsville is still processing the shooting deaths of officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge, as well as firefighter paramedic Adam Finseth.

RELATED: Fundraisers set up to help families of slain Burnsville first responders

Groups Protect Minnesota and Everytown say progress was made to fight gun violence last session but say there’s still a lot of work to be done, saying they have seven main points they want lawmakers to focus on this session. CLICK HERE to learn more about the state’s Red Flag Law that is now in effect.

Out of those issues, advocates are hoping to tackle dealing with lost and stolen firearms, as they say every year, hundreds of thousands of guns are lost or stolen in the United States, which can end up in an underground market – and many are later used to commit violent crimes.

“This is an appealing source of firearms for people who are legally prohibited from owning guns,” says Rep. Kaohly Vang Her (DFL-St. Paul).

One proposed bill this session would require gun owners to safely store and lock up both their firearms and ammunition, and if they don’t, they could find themselves with criminal charges and a loss of their gun rights.

Along those same lines, another proposed bill would require a lost or stolen gun be reported right away to law enforcement.

But gun rights advocates say the reporting requirement doesn’t get to the root of the problem.

“The action of reporting a firearm lost or stolen is something every responsible gun owner already does,” says Rob Doar of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus. 

He also raises questions about the bill requiring guns and ammunition to be locked up separately in your home. “The safe storage bill that is being introduced is saying you can’t even have a loaded firearm at home for self-defense,” Doar says. “It has to be completely separate from the ammunition and rendered useless.”

Advocates for these bills say almost 600 Minnesotans died from gun violence in 2022.

“I will not accept the argument that these deaths and the trauma associated with them are simply the cost of doing business for the freedom to own a gun,” said Pastor Rolf Olson, who lost his daughter to gun violence.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Protect Minnesota’s 2024 legislative session policy priorities.

Watch the full 11 a.m. live stream below.