Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth's daughter criticizes her handling of gun control bill

Hundreds crammed into the Minnesota Capitol on Saturday, rallying to support DFL lawmakers demanding a vote on gun reform after wrapping up a days-long sit-in protest in the state House chambers.

The bill, which already passed in the Senate, would ban semiautomatic rifles and high-capacity magazines. DFL lawmakers claim GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth is holding up the vote. She insists House lawmakers voted in committee, where it stalled.

That has created a public debate between Lisa Demuth and her daughter, Shelisa Demuth, who has criticized her mom's actions on social media. 

"This is an issue that I care deeply about," Shelisa Demuth said. "I am here to observe. Of course, I have personal stake in this being a survivor, being a parent and also being the daughter of Lisa Demuth, our current House speaker."

Shelisa Demuth has drawn attention to the issue through her social media, recently posting on Threads, "Imagine being the first House Speaker in state history who is also the mother of two school shooting victims and conveniently deferring a gun control bill to the next legislative session."

Shelisa Demuth was 15 years old in 2003, a 10th grader at Rocori High School, when gun violence shattered her innocence.

"I distinctly remember the code red alert that came over the loudspeaker, the flush look that came over my biology teacher's face, the way that we just dropped all of our belongings and sheltered," Shelisa Demuth said. "We were in the dark for hours until turning on the television and seeing our school's aerial shot... That is how we learned what was going on." 

After witnessing the Annunciation school shooting last year, she and her mom are even further apart on gun control. 

"Because we come from different perspectives, different world views, different values even. Over the years, we've had times when we're at odds or we are not speaking. This is not one of those times," Shelisa Demuth said.

Shelisa Demuth says she respects her mother immensely; although they may not agree on this issue, they stand strong as a family.

"We've put in a lot of work that a lot of families are likely going through now. That it's easy to be afraid of and avoid those tough conversations. That's something I admire most about her is even through our differences, her love is very consistent, her care is very consistent, even if we don't always understand each other. I think that is such a good testament of what our society can look like."

She still believes in her heart that Lisa Demuth should call for the vote, but she understands why it won't happen.

"I hope, but I don't expect. I recognize the reality is that this hasn't passed through committee. I know that my mom prides herself on being fair and that might mean that it does have to wait until next session," Shelisa Demuth said.

She is focusing on what's most important: that through all the discussion and disagreement, democracy shines true. 

"People who are demanding action on this issue are making their voices heard; that's at the center of our democracy, that's what this is about. So the outcome, I think, is to be heard at this time, even if a vote is not taken," Shelisa Demuth said.