 We took a very hard look at these numbers, and we did find that Minnesota has a very high rate of gun ownership   one of the highest in the country   but it has a relatively low rate of violent crime,  revealed Minneapolis station WCCO reporter Pat Kessler in a segment Thursday.He added that in 2017, Minnesota  set a new record for firearms background checks,  processing 473,975 checks on permits, 94,383 checks on handguns and 125,516 checks on long guns.Watch:In other words, more people attempted to purchase weapons in the state last year than ever before. Minnesota set another 2017 record, too,  his report continued.  The State Department of Public Safety reports 283,188 Minnesotans now have permits to legally carry firearms in public.    Conservative Tribune