By Dave Workman
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced Tuesday he will call a special session of the Legislature to consider what the Minnesota Reformer called “a package of gun control measures,” one day after Democrats and activists gathered at the Capitol demanding for a ban on so-called “assault weapons.”
It was their response to the deadly attack by a deranged killer at the Annunciation Church and School in Minneapolis a week ago.
Walz, who ran unsuccessfully last year as Kamala Harris’ vice presidential running mate, declared, “If Minnesota lets this moment slide and we determine that it’s okay for little ones to not be safe in a school environment or a church environment, then shame on us.”
Fox News in St. Paul is reporting that members of Students Demand Action and Minnesota Teen activists led the effort, which drew a crowd wearing red T-shirts. They gathered to demand a ban on semi-auto rifles, such as one of the guns used by killer Robin Westman, formerly Robert Westman, whose chilling diary/manifesto revealed a fascination with mass killers.
The Reformer article acknowledged that Walz and Democrat lawmakers “are hoping the shooting of a church filled with schoolchildren would pressure Republicans to accede to new laws.”
“The special session will force Republicans to vote on gun control a little more than a year from a crucial midterm election when all 201 legislative seats will be on the ballot,” the Reformer said.
But Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, reminded the media that Minnesota “already has adopted gun laws that were pushed by the gun prohibition lobby on the grounds they would prevent such tragedies.”
“There are hundreds of thousands of Minnesota gun owners who have harmed nobody, but who invariably are penalized by default because they exercise their rights under both the state and federal constitutions,” Gottlieb said.
While Walz and his DFL allies are keen for a gun control session, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus is already preparing for a fight. In a message posted Tuesday, the group is urging members and gun owners in general to oppose such a ban.
“This is not about ‘safety,’” the group declared. “It’s about disarming peaceable gun owners and stripping away our rights one step at a time.”
The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus is a state CCRKBA affiliate.
