MINNEAPOLIS (AP) 鈥 As Minnesota mourned a mass shooting at a church that left two schoolchildren dead and 21 people injured, Gov. Tim Walz promised to call a special session for the Legislature to pass solutions to gun violence and school safety.
But a month after the Aug. 27 shootings, which of the academic year at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, talks seem to have stalled.
Despite from kids’ doctors, and chances appear remote that lawmakers could agree on enough to justify a special session.
The hard political reality
The is up against a : the Minnesota Legislature is to pass anything without bipartisan support.
While there’s support for gun restrictions among urban and suburban Democrats, there’s opposition among rural and suburban Republicans to any infringement on the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The few rural Democrats find themselves in a difficult position whenever gun issues come up, as they used their temporary full control to pass the first gun limits in years.
Mass shootings usually lead to calls for more gun laws
Several Democratic-led states have tried to restrict access to firearms after . Connecticut enacted after the , including an .
But those calls typically fail in Republican-led states, where gun rights supporters say violent people are the root problem. Efforts to tighten Texas’ gun laws after the 2022 shooting at .
Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee could not persuade his heavily GOP legislature to approve a 鈥渞ed flag鈥 law after the 2023 shooting at a Nashville school. But Lee allowing teachers and staff to carry concealed .
Uvalde was a major impetus for a that President Joe Biden , though it focuses on people, not the weapons.
The fallout from shootings in Minnesota
The shootings at the Church of the Annunciation of the top House Democratic leader, , and her husband, and the shootings of a Democratic who survived. Those recent attacks have made the issue personal for Walz and many of his fellow Democrats.
the church shootings, Walz made bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines his top priorities for a special session. He reiterated that as he last week. But meetings with legislative leaders, and a pair of recent hearings, have not produced the required consensus.
Parents of some of the wounded children told senators that an assault weapons ban might have prevented the tragedy and doing nothing was not an option.
鈥淯ndoubtedly, there will be another mass shooting and more kids will die. If you think it won鈥檛 hit your community and someone you love, think again. It is up to our lawmakers to decide what type of weapon the next mass shooter is armed with,鈥 testified Malia Kimbrell, whose 9-year-old daughter, Vivian St. Clair, survived being shot three times.
But Walz told reporters Tuesday that Republicans want to talk about everything but guns.
鈥淚 was told by a Republican leadership that there would never be a vote on guns 鈥 there wouldn鈥檛 be a vote on a gun ban,” he said. “And that鈥檚 not acceptable.鈥
The governor acknowledged the House is tied 67-67 between Republicans and Democrats, and that the narrow Senate Democratic majority lacks the 34 votes required to pass anything on its own.
Special elections for two open seats in November are the Senate to full strength with a 34-33 Democratic majority. But even then, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy conceded some GOP support would be needed.
鈥淚f the Governor calls a special session, we will work to craft the best possible bill, and our members will decide by voting their conscience and for the districts they represent,鈥 Murphy said in a statement Thursday. 鈥淏ut no bill can pass the House or Senate without GOP votes, and Minnesotans need Republicans to commit to serious solutions.鈥
Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth, of Cold Spring, disputed the governor’s gun bill claim, and she noted Democratic leaders concede they lack the votes to pass any ban on their own.
鈥淚 did not say there would never be a vote 鈥 but you need a bill in order to vote, and the Governor has given no language or detail of what he wants voted on aside from vague bans,鈥 Demuth said in a statement.
Consensus remains elusive
The divides were on display last week when senators held hearings to see if the sides could reach a consensus. They could not.
鈥淚 think these solutions, ultimately, if they鈥檙e going to pass, they will have to be bipartisan,鈥 said Democratic Sen. Ron Latz, who called . He contended there are Republicans whose districts would support an assault weapons ban and could supply the necessary votes 鈥 if they choose.
Republicans told reporters that law-abiding citizens are entitled to have guns to defend their families and noted help can be a long way off in rural areas. They said the focus instead should be practical ideas that actually could get bipartisan support, such as more mental health services.
鈥淣ew gun laws will be and not have an impact, and likely found unconstitutional. We鈥檝e seen numerous jurisdictions across the country with courts striking these down,鈥 said GOP Sen. Eric Lucero.
Latz countered that fears that an assault weapons ban would be declared unconstitutional, or concerns over how it might be implemented, are no excuse for not trying.
鈥淭he vast majority of the people of Minnesota want to see us do something on this,鈥 Walz said this week. 鈥淲e should be able to get together and do that.鈥
