A special session on gun control in the wake of the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting and the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their family members is running into harsh political realities at the Capitol.
At an unrelated press conference earlier this week Gov. Tim Walz said conversations with leadership are ongoing, but that he was told by GOP leadership that there would “never” be a vote on a “gun ban.”
Gov. Tim Walz.
“I guess there’s a line in the sand, and I was told by Republican leadership that there would never be a vote on … a gun ban, and that’s not acceptable in reaching a compromise,” he said. “It’s clear to me that Republican legislators want to talk about everything else except guns.”
House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said Tuesday that she thinks Walz could be mischaracterizing what was said by Republicans in leadership conversations.
“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 said.
“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,” she said. “If he is serious about wanting a vote, he should be honest about what he’s actually looking for a vote on instead of playing politics to further his campaign.”
House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring.
While Walz has not put out an official gun legislation package, he clarified Tuesday what he requested.
“I asked for a floor vote on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons, and just let the members vote on it,” he said. “And if they believe that’s a bad idea, which obviously they do … then you can simply vote no.”
Walz could call a special session whenever he wants. But the current makeup of the Legislature would make it difficult for an assault weapons ban to make it to a floor vote in either chamber.
Margins in both chambers
The House is currently tied 67-67 — part of the power-sharing agreement under the tie is that committees are co-chaired with equal GOP-to-DFL representation — meaning any assault weapons ban would need at least one Republican vote in several committees to make it to a floor vote.
The Senate currently has two vacant seats to be filled on Nov. 4 and a 33-22 DFL majority. Senate Democrats don’t have a quorum and can’t pass anything off the floor without 34 members.
“Look, we’re at 67-67 and neither side has 34 votes in the Senate. So it’s going to take a compromise, which shouldn’t be that difficult,” Walz said Tuesday. “The vast majority of the people in Minnesota want to see us do something on this. We should be able to get together and do that.”
Special session
A Senate working group last week gave a clearer picture of how some gun control proposals could go in a special session as Republicans spoke out about their opposition to doing so.
Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, DFL-Minneapolis, who represents a district that includes Annunciation, said at the working group on Sept. 17 that Annunciation parents — some of whom have testified in support of an assault weapons ban — are asking her for a vote.
“The parents I have spoken with understand what the Legislature is, but they also want a vote,” she said. “They want members to take their vote. They want to speak to those members who are opposing on both sides of the aisle.”
Republican votes aren’t the only factor — Democrats weren’t able to pass an assault weapons ban during the DFL trifecta.
It’s unclear where this standstill puts a special session. Nevertheless, Walz and DFL leadership have said in the past few weeks that a special session wouldn’t hinge on whether or not the votes are there.
“Leadership has the responsibility to come to an agreement. And I get the feeling right now that there is no appetite on the Republican side over the floor vote on guns,” he said.
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