By Dave Workman
Against mounting pressure from DFL lawmakers to adopt more restrictions on gun owners, Minnesota Republicans are reportedly holding firm against additional gun control, according to the MinnPost.
This comes less than a month following the deadly shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, where two youngsters were killed and others were wounded. And the report also follows a report earlier in the week from the Minnesota Reformer which acknowledged, “Minnesota already has stricter-than-average gun laws, and it’s not clear whether any of the gun control measures up for discussion would have prevented a 23-year-old Minnesota resident from firing more than 100 rounds through the windows of Annunciation during the first Mass of the school year.”
Gov. Tim Walz, now pursuing a third term in the wake of his unsuccessful campaign as Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential campaign, promised to call a special legislative session to focus on gun control. Walz alluded to “gun violence” in his campaign launch video. The Minnesota Star Tribune said the video “punctuated Walz’s evolution on an issue that’s taken on new urgency among Democrats in Minnesota.”
TGM traded email with a longtime gun rights advocate in Minnesota Thursday, who observed, “So far, the GOP appears to be holding the line. There’s increasing understanding of the fact that the problem is with the owner of the finger which pulls the trigger in a gun free zone rather than the type of firearm or its magazine capacity whether internal or detachable.”
In a separate report, the Minnesota Reformer noted, “Tensions between Democrats and Republicans were on full display during the second and final meeting of a state Senate working group on gun violence prevention, just two days after the lawmakers expressed a willingness to work together.”
That apparent spirit of cooperation appears to have evaporated when DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor) proposals fell back on their traditional gun control agenda: Banning so-called “assault weapons” and “high-capacity magazines,” mandatory “safe storage,” banning “binary triggers,” and funding for “gun violence prevention research.”
The legislative working group is chaired by DFL Sen. Ron Latz of St. Louis Park. The report said he “grew visibly frustrated at what he deemed evasive answers” from Republicans on the committee.
Adding more gun control is unlikely to earn support from gun owners in a state where there about a half-dozen local affiliates of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, a nationally-recognized grassroots gun rights organization. The affiliate groups listed on the CCRKBA website are:
- Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus
- Northwestern Gun Club
- Moose Horn Rod and Gun Club
- East Grand Forks Rod and Gun Club
- Nicollet Conservation Club
If Walz and his DFL allies expect to push through more gun control, they will have a tough time of it, because of the razor thin legislative margin. Even the Minnesota Reformer acknowledged, “It’s not clear whether Senate Democrats have the votes in their own party to pass an assault weapons ban; with Republicans controlling half of the House, the chances of passing any gun control measures are slim.”
Workman is editor-in-chief at TheGunMag.com
