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Gov. Tim Walz is set to speak Saturday at a town hall in Waconia on gun violence, bringing the discussion over firearms regulation out of the State Capitol after lawmakers reached an impasse. The town hall will feature former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, an Arizona representative who retired from Congress after surviving a gunshot to the head in an attempted assassination in 2011. In the years since, she has become a leading advocate for gun safety legislation. The 3 p.m. ticketed event in Waconia, announced this week by the state DFL Party, will include other lawmakers, gun safety groups, doctors and community members. According to the DFL, the town hall will “highlight how Minnesota values — like safety, fairness, and responsibility — can guide the next chapter of work to prevent gun violence and protect every family in the state." Walz’s appearance comes after talks about a special legislative session to address gun violence broke down. In the days after a shooter killed two children and injured 30 at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis, the governor vowed to call a special session that he said should include discussion of a ban on assault weapons. But Republican leaders rejected a Democratic proposal that included an assault weapons ban as well as GOP priorities, such as funding for mental health. Because of the close divide in the Legislature, Democrats need some Republican buy-in to advance any legislation. After the talks broke down, Walz said he would host town halls focused on an assault weapons ban. “If we’re going to hold a special session on safety of our children and safety of our streets and safety on gun violence, we need to talk about guns,” Walz said earlier this month. “And if the folks who hold veto power over this, which they do because of the makeup of the Legislature, if they say that’s not going to happen, calling a special session is going to be a waste of money and a waste of time.”
