Gov. Tim Walz, legislative leaders meet to discuss special session "one way or another" to respond to Annunciation Church shooting
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday convened a meeting with top Republicans and Democrats at the Capitol to discuss details of a special session of the Legislature to respond to the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting that killed two children and injured 21 others two weeks ago.
Walz wants to call lawmakers back to St. Paul to take action on gun restrictions, namely an assault weapons ban, in wake of the tragedy. But any legislation will require bipartisan support in a closely divided Capitol.
He told reporters he doesn't yet have a date set for when he would order that special meeting of the Legislature, but the hope is "sooner rather than later" and that he and leaders are working to come to an agreement about the parameters of a special session before it happens, as is common practice.
But he said he is willing to call them back anyway — even if they don't agree on what it will look like.
"This is where the public leads the discussion on this and the legislators rise to the occasion and do the things that they're being asked to do. And the public is asking us to do something," Walz said. "So I hope we can get an agreement ahead of time, but I made it very clear I will call the special session one way or another."
Republicans released their proposal of policies to consider in a special session, none of which would put additional restrictions on firearms. They pitch school security grants, more funding for mental health beds, mandatory minimum prison sentences for repeat gun offenders and more.
House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said she was encouraged that Walz called all leaders together to discuss the topic. She did not say if any members of her caucus would be open to any gun measures, only that they would discuss proposals when they come forward.
"House Republicans are committed to making sure that we are keeping our schools and our communities safe, and that is a very broad way of looking at that and getting at the actual foundational root issues that cause someone to act out in such a horrendous way," she said.
It's unclear if the DFL will even have the votes on their side for any additional gun regulations, either. In 2023, when Democrats controlled both chambers, they approved expanding background checks and a "red flag" law that enables a judge to temporarily suspend someone's access to firearms if determined to be a harm to themselves or others.
But additional proposals like a safe storage law and reporting of missing or stolen firearms to law enforcement failed to get the necessary support to pass the DFL-led Senate. An assault weapons ban never even received a hearing.
Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, said she believes the Annunciation shooting, as well as the assassination of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark and attempted killing of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette earlier this summer, may have the ability to move the needle on this issue for some.
"We've had a really, really difficult summer. We've all been impacted by gun violence, both our caucuses, all four caucuses," Murphy said alongside Rep. Zack Stephenson, House Democrats' new leader. "And I do think that the events that we live here together can impact how people choose to vote on something. I think we're going to have some very frank and important conversations."
House Republicans have a one-seat edge right now because of the vacancy due to Hortman's death. There is a special election next week that could return the chamber to a tie, requiring bipartisan collaboration to get bills to the floor and to pass.
Even in the Senate, where Democrats had a one-seat majority this year, any legislation will need Republican support because of the vacancy due to Sen. Nicole Mitchell's resignation in wake of her burglary conviction. A special election for her Woodbury-area seat isn't until November, and the special session is likely to happen earlier.
"We only have 33 members, and we need 34 people to pass legislation out of our body. So we're doing our work. I hope Republicans are doing their work, but we're going to need a Republican vote in order to move anything out of the Minnesota Senate," Murphy said.
The two DFL leaders and Walz suggested taking a vote on the assault weapons ban — even if it doesn't have enough support to pass — so Minnesotans know where their elected officials stand on the issue.
"I hope that in the time between now and whenever we have a special session, whenever that is, that all members of the Legislature, but particularly the Republican colleagues, are listening to what the community's saying, what the families are saying, and taking it to heart," Stephenson said.
Some families have spoken out in wake of the shooting, demanding that the Legislature do something to prevent this from happening again. The mother of 9-year-old Vivian St. Clair, who was shot three times that day, held a news conference last week imploring that lawmakers to make a change.
"To our lawmakers and people in power: Who the hell is going to do something? Who's going to make meaningful change and take tangible steps to break the cycle?" Malia Kimbrell said.
Walz said recently he would unveil a full, detailed package of proposals in the coming days. He is considering, in addition to the assault weapons ban, a safe storage law, liability insurance and a stronger red flag law
The governor and leaders are expected to meet again this week. The regular session is due to start in mid-February.