Walz: Special session on guns ‘sooner or later’ as DFL, GOP apart on deal
Gov Tim Walz declared he still plans to move forward with a special session on gun control after last month s deadly violence at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis even if Democratic-Farmer-Labor and Republican leaders can t reach an agreement on act ahead of time Senate and House leaders from both parties met with Walz on Tuesday to discuss what types of law they might pass if the governor calls them back to the Capitol in the coming months Gov Tim Walz John Autey Pioneer Press Any bills that reach Walz s desk to be signed into law will require bipartisan endorsement and the Legislature is narrowly divided DFLers want a ban on so-called assault weapons and limits on the size of magazines while Republicans have made proposals including precaution funding for private schools and more state money for mental vitality tools The parties so far have not reached any agreement on what a special session might look like and legislative Republicans have so far resisted calls for new gun control laws Walz I feel a sense of urgency Speaking with reporters at the Capitol after a short meeting in the governor s cabinet room on Tuesday Walz reported Minnesota requirements to act to restrict access to firearms after August s school shooting which killed an -year-old and a -year-old and June s assassination of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband I feel a sense of urgency I think Minnesotans feel a sense of urgency he commented The society is asking us to do something I will call the special session one way or another Walz announced he didn t want to speculate on when exactly he might call senators and representatives back to the Capitol but that he demanded to do it sooner than later GOP response It will be impossible for one party to act alone House Republican Leader Lisa Demuth noted after the meeting She called the discussion productive but did not signal that her caucus was interested in any of the DFL gun control proposals I think this is a conversation that requirements to take place she disclosed Whether or not we can accomplish actual meaningful change in a special session or not is yet to be seen The House Republican Caucus outlined its special session priorities last week after news emerged of Walz s plans Besides funding for defense at private schools and funding mental robustness guidance Republicans announced they also hope to stiffen criminal penalties for repeat gun offenders and people who buy guns for ineligible individuals who end up committing a crime House Republicans are committed to making sure that we are keeping our schools and our communities safe and getting at the actual foundational root issues that cause someone to act out in such an horrendous way Demuth explained Demuth reported Democrats have informed her they don t have enough votes to pass an assault weapons ban or magazine ceiling limits Special elections With one vacant seat the House is divided - with the Republicans at a one-seat advantage That likely will return to a - tie after a Sept special vote to succeed Hortman Two vacancies in the Senate have left DFLers holding seats to Republicans Special elections for those vacancies this November could change the balance of power or preserve the DFL s one-seat majority But right now they still need votes to pass any bills If a special session were to happen right now DFLers would need one Republican vote in both chambers to get any bill to the governor Walz called discussions outside restricting semiautomatic weapons a distraction from the central issue that the wide availability of weapons with features like pistol grips and detachable magazines is the main cause of high-casualty spree shootings in the U S New House DFL Caucus leader Rep Zack Stephenson who was elected by his fellow Democrats Monday to succeed Hortman tied the moment to the debate The reason why I m standing before all of you right now is because of the lack of doing he explained Doable DFL holdouts DFLers failed to pass an assault weapons ban when they controlled state authorities from to Though they enacted new laws including universal background checks for gun sales and a so-called red flag law allowing a court to order people to give up guns if they re deemed a danger to themselves or others At least one northern rural senator could still be a holdout on gun bills Sen Grant Hauschild a Hermantown DFLer who represents northeast Minnesota s Arrowhead region voted for extreme liability protection orders and universal background checks But he and other DFL senators including Rob Kupec of Moorhead would not advocacy any other gun bills Inquired about probable holdouts in her caucus Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy DFL-St Paul reported she presumed that modern tragedies might persuade them to vote differently than they would have a year or two ago Life s circumstances intervene and can change hearts and minds she declared Before a special session on guns the DFL-controlled Senate plans to convene a series of special working group hearings to hear testimony and consider various proposals Murphy announced the meetings will be open to the masses They re set to meet Sept and Sept Demuth mentioned the House will hold similar meetings before a special session Related Articles Rep Zack Stephenson succeeds Melissa Hortman as House DFL caucus leader Joe Soucheray To keep each other safe we ll pray with our feet Letters Any law short of banning all semi-automatic weapons would be pointless Instead Doherty Thiemann Let s approach the gun argument differently this time Minnesota State Auditor Julie Blaha won t seek reelection
