Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is preparing to call state lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session on gun control as soon as next month after this week’s shooting in a Minneapolis Catholic school church that killed two children and injured 18 others.
Walz and fellow Democratic-Farmer-Labor leaders, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, have renewed calls for more gun control laws in recent days. They have advocated for policies including a ban on semiautomatic rifles and a magazine capacity limit.
“It’s time to take serious action at the State Capitol to address gun violence,” the governor said in a Friday post on X.
An administration official said Walz is making calls to state lawmakers in preparation for a potential special session.
New gun control bills could face headwinds in the Legislature, where the Senate and House are closely divided between the parties. DFLers have 33 seats to Republicans’ 32 in the Senate, and Republicans have 67 seats to DFLers’ 66 in the House.
Republicans generally oppose new gun control legislation, so passage of any bill will require bipartisan support.
That won’t change after the House likely returns to a 67-67 tie after a special election for former DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman’s seat on Sept. 16.
Even then, DFLers will still need at least one GOP vote to pass major gun control bills.
Gun control bills could have a smoother ride in the Senate, which will remain at its current balance until special elections for two vacant seats in November.
Republicans said they were surprised by news of Walz’s plans to call lawmakers back to the Capitol.
“Republicans are committed to addressing the root causes of violence, supporting safe schools, and increasing access to mental health resources,” said Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks. “Calling for a special session without even consulting legislative leaders is not a serious way to begin. This is a partisan stunt from a governor who continues to engage in destructive political rhetoric.”
House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said she had not heard anything about plans from the governor.
“My expectation would have been that he would have had some type of communication to say that he is doing this,” she said.
Related Articles
St. Paul computer systems slowly return to life after July cyberattack
Hemmingsen-Jaeger wins DFL primary for Nicole Mitchell seat in Woodbury
Tuesday primary to pick DFL nominee for former Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s seat
How 17 Minnesota third graders made blueberry the state muffin
Judge’s strike-down of binary trigger ban spotlights Minnesota’s habit of ‘monstrous’ omnibus bills
Leave a Reply