I’m not sure what Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz expected when he called a special session to try to pass an “assault weapons” ban and other anti-gun legislation, but apparently it wasn’t uncooperative pro-gun Republicans.
Walz, the failed vice presidential candidate, called the special session following the August 27 shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church, where a trans man fired into the windows of the church during the school’s first Mass of the year. Democrats had said that during the special session, they would be seeking not only the ban on so-called “assault weapons,” but also the re-enactment of the state’s binary trigger ban, which was recently struck down by a district court, a requirement for serial numbers on guns, safe storage requirements, gun safety training and the creation of a civil commitment division in the Attorney General’s Office.
Now, with Republicans refusing to bow to Walz’s numerous demands, he is whining about what he should have expected from the start—pro-gun rights legislators doing what they should to head off further restrictions.
“I guess there’s a line in the sand,” Walz said in a video posted at Fox 9 KMSP. “I was told by Republican leadership that there would never be a vote on guns, there wouldn’t be a vote on gun bans. And that’s not acceptable to reaching compromise, because I said, ‘Provide us what you need to talk about this.’”
In the video, Walz tries to discredit Republican lawmakers, who are simply representing the constituents who elected them.
“I think what’s going on now is that those legislators are being contacted by the families impacted at Annunciation and I think those conversations should happen,” he said. “I don’t disagree with the leader that you want to have broader conversation about this, but that’s not how this works. The leadership gets together, we lay out our parameters, and then we bring in the other legislators.”
Just as Walz is adamant about getting new gun laws passed, many lawmakers on the other side of the aisle are equally adamant that the Annunciation shooting not be used as a political tool to further restrict lawful Minnesota gun owners.
“It’s clear to me that Republican legislators want to talk about everything else except guns,” Walz said. “And healthcare costs. And the farm crisis. And try and distract from that. So, I will express that the talks are ongoing. I remain open to a deal where we can come in and get something done. My only thing was that I asked for, I asked for a floor vote on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons and just let the members vote on it. And if they believe that’s a bad idea, which obviously they do, the Republican legislators believe it’s a bad idea, then you can simply vote ‘no.’”
Ultimately, Walz wants things his way. And he wants others to compromise their standards so he can be seen as “doing something” after the Annunciation attack.
“I said, if you want to bring bills forward on mental health, you know, we’ve done it before and they voted against it, but if they’re willing to vote for it now, I’m supportive of that, but we’re gonna talk about guns,” he concluded.
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