Minnesota bill that would regulate ownership, sale of semiautomatic weapons passes Senate
The Minnesota Senate has passed a comprehensive bill that includes a semiautomatic weapons ban and numerous funding packages to improve school safety and school mental health counseling.
The legislation was approved on Monday afternoon after hours of debate, passing along party lines with all 34 DFL senators voting in favor and 33 Republicans opposing it.
The bill was pushed by the parents of the Annunciation mass shooting victims following the incident last August. Advocates say it will protect people, especially kids.
Opponents say it infringes on rights. Mike Moyski, who lost his child, 11-year-old Harper Moyski, in the attack at Annunciation, responded to the argument.
"It's also a God-given right for a 9-year-old and a 10-year-old to live beyond that age. So let's get serious when we're talking about God-given rights. Especially when it comes to this topic," Mike Moyski said.
Harper Moyski was one of two children fatally shot in the Aug. 27, 2025, incident. More than 20 other people were injured.
The debate over the bill on Monday was emotional for Minnesota senators.
"I have been dealing with this my whole life, seeing this as a child, a student and now as a parent and I still have the same worries for my son," DFL Sen. Clare Oumou Verbeten said.
"How do you have that conversation with your kids? It's not the way the world should be, but it's the reality that we live in," DFL Sen. Grant Hauschild said.
Supporters of the legislation stressed that those who own semiautomatic weapons would be grandfathered in, but would have to register them with the state.
"No, we are not taking anyone's guns or weapons away," DFL Sen. Zaynab Mohamed said.
Opponents added that the bill would do nothing to make school children safer.
"This simply does not make sense to me, Mr President. We need to pursue truth. The truth is, guns don't kill people, bad people kill people," GOP Sen. Steve Drazkowski said.
"It should be noted that when Democrats held the trifecta for two full years and chose not to pass this bill, the timing of this bill feels performative," GOP Sen. Julia Coleman said.
GOP Sen. Michael Holstrom added, "Mr. President, I will not comply with this law. Most of Minnesota will not comply with this unconstitutional law."
Following the passing of the bill in the Senate, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz said on social media, "It's time for the House to act on guns."
But there is no avenue right now that indicates the Minnesota House is going to act. The House has already voted down a much weaker proposal along party lines, 67 to 67. A tie vote meant the measure did not pass.
And the big factor is that there are only two weeks left in the legislative session.
WCCO asked a top Republican aide at the State Capitol in St. Paul on Monday if the proposal would come up for a vote in the House. They replied, "God, no."
Political analyst David Schultz calls the vote groundbreaking and says it represents the strongest push yet, but one far from the finish line.
"This might be the best chance that this bill has in terms of getting passed," Schultz told WCCO on Monday.
He later added, "Right now, it looks dead on arrival in a house that is deadlocked."
