1 year later, Annunciation families still waiting for gun reform in Minnesota

After the Annunciation Catholic Church mass shooting in Minneapolis, there were loud calls for action on guns.

A coalition of parents, lawmakers and activists asked for a ban on semiautomatic weapons, among other items. Here's where those bills ended up and what's at stake come November.

There were hours of protests, even a last-minute sit-in on the Minnesota House floor. Weeks of testimony had led to this point. 

Jackie Flavin's daughter, Harper Moyski, was killed in the mass shooting. Flavin was one of the parents who went to the legislature to testify for gun control. 

Last September, Flavin told lawmakers, "The damage to Harper's body was so severe we were not allowed to see her, hold her, or be with her body ever again. And then, months later, as the pews were removed from that church, more of her remains were found. We had to cremate our daughter a second time. Imagine receiving that phone call."

Malia Kimbrell testified last year, too. Her daughter, Vivian St. Clair, was shot. 

"Can you even imagine cleaning bullet wounds on your 9-year-old that she suffered while sitting in church," Kimbrell said.

On May 4, Annunciation families watched from the gallery as the Minnesota Senate passed, by one vote, the most sweeping gun control bill in Minnesota history, including a ban on semiautomatic weapons and large-capacity magazines.

But the applause was short-lived — the measure stalled for two weeks in the GOP-controlled House. 

DFL Minority Leader Zach Stephenson said at the time, "They wouldn't even let the bill out of the drawer. They were so desperate to not do anything on guns that they literally hid the bill." 

House Speaker Lisa Demuth fired back, saying, "Gun provisions were voted on in the House eight times," adding, "They did not continue moving forward on a tie — they went down on a party-line vote."

In November, if a DFL House majority is elected, Stephenson could be elevated to speaker. Looking ahead to the midterm election, he said, "It's all on the election. The entire composition of the Minnesota Legislature will be decided in this election. Our next governor will be decided in this election, and I think Minnesotans have a clear choice between people who want to do something meaningful to address gun violence."

Even anti-gun control advocates acknowledge the pendulum may be ready to swing. 

Rob Doar, the general counsel for the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, was asked whether he thinks an assault weapons ban will pass in future legislative sessions in Minnesota. 

"Yeah, you know, 10 years ago I would have said no, because there were Democrats — like Tom [Bakk] and Dave [Tomassoni] — who were very vocally against that. I think the political makeup of the legislature has shifted," Doar said. "Those types of proposals that have a one-size-fits-all approach don't necessarily resonate as well in Greater Minnesota."

Stephenson says he will introduce the measure that didn't pass, including an assault weapons ban, the first week of the legislature in January.

What did pass last session was a bill that will require school districts to have an anonymous reporting system for threats.