By Ryan Faircloth, The Minnesota Star Tribune
MINNEAPOLIS – Gov. Tim Walz’s vow to call lawmakers back to the Minnesota Capitol for a special legislative session on gun policy has run into a harsh political reality.
Republicans in the closely divided Legislature haven’t budged in their opposition to proposals that would ban assault-style firearms and high-capacity magazines — even after impassioned testimony last week from parents of children who survived last month’s mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis. Without bipartisan agreement, even some Democrats believe Walz shouldn’t call a special session, and it’s unclear if there are enough votes within his own party for new gun restrictions.
The DFL governor told reporters Tuesday that “it’s clear to me that Republican legislators want to talk about everything else except guns.”
“I asked for a floor vote on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons, and just let the members vote on it,” Walz said. “There is no appetite on the Republican side to hold a floor vote on guns.”
The conundrum puts Walz in a tough political spot as he’s made gun control a top priority since two schoolchildren were killed at Annunciation. Walz, who’s running for a historic third consecutive four-year term, must decide whether to gamble on calling lawmakers back without a bipartisan deal — risking the possibility of a futile session — or to give up on the talks.
In the tied Minnesota House, gun legislation would need bipartisan support through every committee vote to reach the floor. Democrats hold a one-seat advantage in the Senate, but because of a resignation, they are currently one member short of the 34-vote threshold needed to pass bills, meaning they, too, would need a Republican to vote with them to pass gun control legislation.
Walz said Tuesday that GOP legislative leaders told him “there wouldn’t be a vote on gun bans.” Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth quickly disputed the assertion.
“It appears to me that the governor is either misunderstanding or mischaracterizing the fact that even DFL leaders have acknowledged there are not enough votes to pass a gun ban,” Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said in a statement. “I did not say there would never be a vote — 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.”
Walz said he would propose a package of gun bills that includes an assault rifle ban in the days after the shooting at Annunciation, but he has yet to release his list of proposals.
House Republicans released a plan earlier this month that includes more school security funding, school resource officers and funding for mental health treatment beds, as well as mandatory minimum prison sentences for repeat gun offenders.
Their proposals did not address access to firearms. Walz called that a major sticking point.
“The ability to fire 116 rounds in 90 seconds into a church full of children is something,” Walz said, emphasizing the carnage that powerful assault weapons can inflict.
“The vast majority of the people of Minnesota want to see us do something on this. We should be able to get together and do that,” he said.
But it’s not clear if Democrats have enough votes in their own ranks to pass the gun bills that Walz and top DFLers want. Some Senate Democrats have not pledged their votes for new gun restrictions.
DFL Sen. Judy Seeberger, who won a close east-metro suburb race in 2022, told the Minnesota Star Tribune earlier this month that she thought a “comprehensive package,” including mental health funding and “holding violent offenders accountable,” would have the best shot at passing the closely divided Legislature.
Sen. Rob Kupec, a Democrat from Moorhead, told the news outlet MinnPost that he doubts a state-level assault weapon ban would help since Minnesotans could go to other states to buy the firearms.
House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson, of Coon Rapids, said every member of his caucus is ready to vote for an assault weapons ban. The House DFL’s former leader, Melissa Hortman, was shot and killed in her home in June.
“Melissa Hortman was killed in an act of gun violence,” Stephenson said. “For our caucus, this is a very personal issue and very important to us.”
Stephenson conceded that it would be unusual for the governor to call a special session without bipartisan agreement on what to act on, though he said it is “100% [Walz’s] prerogative and he has indicated that he is open to doing that.”
Stephenson said the issue won’t go away even if special session talks fizzle. Lawmakers will return to the Capitol for their regular session in February, and Stephenson vowed that his caucus would continue to make it a top priority.
“If there is not a special session, we will still need to address it,” he said.
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—Minnesota Star Tribune reporters Allison Kite and Nathaniel Minor contributed to this story.
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