Minnesota Legislature needs to act now on gun violence

The mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis was an unspeakable tragedy. Any legislative action we take now is too late to save the lives of those schoolchildren. But it is not too late to prevent this from happening again. Gov. Tim Walz’s proposed special session faces opposition from Republicans who oppose meaningful gun violence prevention. Even some DFLers oppose the special session. Some would rather not vote on the record, while others believe the party should never bring up bills until we have a consensus that is almost certain to pass. But that strategy distorts the political process. We should not wait for a consensus before introducing a bill, holding hearings and voting.  Democracy functions best when legislators with different perspectives present legislation, hold hearings and debate the ideas, then vote them up or down. Minnesotans deserve transparency on this issue. When the DFL controlled both houses, we passed key reforms: universal background checks for gun purchases and a red flag law to prevent people in crisis from accessing guns. Those are major victories, but I was disappointed that the Legislature didn’t consider other proposals.  Related: Walz’s urgency to act on gun violence runs into political reality in divided Legislature My legislation to ban assault weapons and large capacity magazines never received a hearing. It would have reduced the carnage at Annunciation if it had passed.  Despite widespread public interest in gun safety legislation, the Legislature has never taken a comprehensive look at gun violence prevention. We fail Minnesotans by not addressing the big picture.  That’s why I introduced the only comprehensive gun regulation proposal yet. In addition to banning assault weapons and large capacity magazines, it would also ban undetectable guns, prohibit multiple gun purchases, require safe storage, and make it easier for businesses and local governments to ban guns in public places.  At its core, that legislation would set up a responsible regulatory system for guns, similar to automobile regulation. Like cars, guns have useful purposes, but they are dangerous.  Automobiles require people to receive training and testing, to be licensed, to have their vehicles registered and to have liability insurance. Cars must meet safety standards.  Credit: Graphic provided by Sen. John Marty But we have no such regulatory regimen for firearms. Through state and federal rules and regulations related to cars, the death toll per mile driven has dropped over 90% in the last century. Gun regulations have had similar positive impacts. States with some gun laws have a gun violence death rate less than half that of the states without. We can adopt reasonable gun regulations without infringing on the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. These proposals are comprehensive but narrowly tailored to achieve the compelling state interest in stopping the murder of schoolchildren and others. They place minimal burdens on individuals who wish to own and possess guns.  Why a comprehensive approach? Gun violence is the number one cause of death for both children and adolescents. Minnesotans deserve bold action to save lives. We need more than a piecemeal approach to this epidemic. I would welcome the opportunity to present these bills in front of a committee, to have proponents and opponents speak to the ideas in them, then have the committee, and the full Legislature, vote for or against each provision.  Opposition from Republicans and some DFLers could result in failure to pass an assault weapons ban and the provisions in the bigger bill. But that is not a reason to avoid debating the issues and voting on them. Failure to do so is a betrayal of responsibility; Minnesotans deserve honesty and accountability.  I have not spoken to Gov. Walz about whether he will call a special session, and this is not about second-guessing him. Sen. Ron Latz, the Senate Judiciary Chair who authored the background check and red flag laws, is working with Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, who represents the community where the shooting occurred. Sen. Mohamed has also been a strong gun violence prevention advocate and is interested in authoring the ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. As an immediate first step, they have proposed a working group to consider proposals for legislative action. I commend that. But a working group is not the end of the process.  We need more than “thoughts and prayers,” more than just discussion. We need real debate with up-or-down votes. A special session to pass an assault weapons ban is appropriate, given the urgency. If no special session is convened, the Senate should still consider specific legislation and prepare for formal votes when the Legislature reconvenes in 2026. Whether or not we are successful in passing this public safety legislation, the debate must be public, transparent and honest so that Minnesotans know where their elected officials stand. Nothing the governor and Legislature do on gun violence now is sufficient. It’s too late to save the lives of the children at Annunciation. But now is the time for real legislative action on responsible gun safety.   John Marty (DFL-Roseville) is chair of the Minnesota Senate Finance Committee and author of an assault weapons ban as well as comprehensive gun safety legislation  The post Minnesota Legislature needs to act now on gun violence appeared first on MinnPost.