Public pressure for a special session on gun control is mounting — the latest lobbying effort coming from nearly three dozen clergy members who gathered Wednesday at the state Capitol, imploring Gov. Tim Walz to make the call.
The clergy members’ plea follows similar pleas from Annunciation Catholic Church and School parents and doctors who cared for victims of the deadly shooting on Aug. 27 in Minneapolis.
Clergy members also delivered a letter to Walz’s office asking him to immediately call a special legislative session to pass a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Organizers said the letter was signed by 750 faith leaders across 60 counties.
Melissa Pohlman, a pastor at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis, said she was at the Capitol praying because “prayer moves us to action.”
Pohlman said that when she pulled out her suit for the event, she remembered the last time she had worn it was for the funeral of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were slain on June 14 in their suburban Minneapolis home. Vance Boelter, 57, is facing state and federal murder charges.
“That’s not OK. This isn’t what I should have to pull my suit out for every time. None of us are immune to gun violence, so today, we call on our elected officials to join us in making real change,” she said.
Melissa Pohlman, pastor at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, calls on Minnesota leaders to pass gun reform on Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025, at the state Capitol in St. Paul. Mary Murphy / Forum News Service
At an unrelated Capitol news conference where he got flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, Walz said “nothing has changed” and that it’s “hard to tell” how likely it is that a special session will happen.
“I need to get an agreement on this. If we’re going to hold a special session on safety of our children and safety of our streets … we need to talk about guns,” he said. “If the folks who hold veto power over this — which they do because of the (narrowly divided partisan) 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.”
Walz has previously indicated a desire to call a special session even if no agreement had emerged.
“I feel a sense of urgency, I think Minnesotans feel a sense of urgency,” he said on Sept. 9. “The public is asking us to do something. … I will call the special session one way or another.”
On Wednesday, Walz said that it’s standard practice to go into a special session with a plan for the scope of bills the Legislature will take up, and that Republicans have not conceded to putting firearms restrictions on the agenda; rather, the caucus prefers a focus on school security and mental health resources. But he said he doesn’t need Republicans to agree with an assault weapons ban, just for them to agree to vote on it.
“I don’t know how many times I can stress it. If you believe getting rid of those weapons is a bad idea, then you should be proudly on the board upstairs, voting ‘no,’ ” he said.
The Rev. Laura Laughlin with the Crown of Glory Church in Chaska said she remains hopeful despite the gridlock.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have hope in our leadership, and I think to not have hope means that we’ve lost all direction,” she said.
The Wednesday gathering was part of a “Seven Days of Prayer and Action” initiative. Through Oct. 14, congregations plan to lead public prayer at noon each day at the Capitol. This Saturday, prayer will be held virtually to allow for statewide participation, organizers said.
More Annunciation victims
Meanwhile Wednesday, law enforcement updated the victim count from the Annunciation shooting from 23 to 30.
Minneapolis police said in a statement that investigators have learned of victims who were brought to hospitals privately, and many had wounds from shrapnel that were discovered later.
One of the 30 victims, a child, suffered injuries that were not from gunfire; 29 others — 26 children and three adults — were injured as the result of gunfire. Two of the children died, 10-year-old Harper Moyski and 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel. The assailant died by suicide.
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