We're still waiting on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to officially call a special session, but the Democrat (technically Democrat-Farmer-Labor) leaders in the state legislature are already issuing almost daily calls to ban "assault weapons" when lawmakers return to the state capitol.
So what exactly are Democratic lawmakers proposing?
At this point, it doesn't look like they have a specific plan. They just want to pass something they can call an "assault weapon ban."
Minnesota legislative leaders met for the third time on Thursday about a special session on gun control.
Leaders indicated that the talks are going well.
“The fact that we’re still talking is a really good sign,” MN House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) said.
“We had a good meeting. I think we’ve reached a key moment in these negotiations,” House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids) said.
Stephenson repeatedly stressed that the biggest piece of this at the moment is the Republican sentiment for gun legislation.
“What we need is for House and Senate Republicans to say what they are willing to do on assault weapons,” he said. “What would they support? Instead of just asking us for more and more details, what would they support to get assault weapons off the streets?”
I would hope the answer is "nothing", but Minnesota gun owners need to keep contacting their own representatives and senators to let them know their opposition to any kind of gun ban.
Still, what's the problem with asking for more details? Shouldn't the Democrats demanding a ban know what, exactly, they want to criminalize? Is it every gas-operated semi-automatic long gun, as proposed by some Democrats in Congress? Is it a features-based prohibition, akin to the 1994 federal ban or the state-level bans in places like California and Illinois?
What do Democrats propose to do about those "assault weapons" that are currently in the hands of lawful owners? Can they maintain possession of those firearms, or do Democrats want a compensated confiscation scheme that would require gun owners to turn in their firearms for some cash or else face criminal charges in the future?
Again, I don't think any of these proposals should be supported by either Republicans or Democrats, but if it's the Democrats who are demanding a ban then it's up to them to offer specific legislation instead of vague talking points.
Sen. Majority Leader Erin Murphy claims her "DFL colleagues are weighing their votes on proposed gun violence legislation that will protect Minnesotans."
What proposed legislation? All we've heard is "ban assault weapons". That's a bumper sticker slogan, not the text of a bill.
Murphy went on to claim that if Walz calls a special session, "we will work to craft the best possible bill, and our members will decide by voting their conscience and for the districts they represent." Why haven't they crafted a bill already? Walz has repeatedly said he will call a special session (though he's almost certainly going to wait for a couple of special elections in November to be decided, which will likely at least give Democrats another seat in the Senate), but even if he doesn't the regular session will kick off in January. There's no reason for DFL legislators to delay writing their gun ban bill... except for trying to score political points against Republicans by trying to convince voters that the GOP is somehow standing in the way of drafting legislation.
Murphy added that "Minnesotans need Republicans to commit to serious solutions." I'd say the same is true of Democrats, and any bill that bans the sale, manufacture, and possession of commonly owned firearms is an unserious "solution" to violent crime. Republicans, meanwhile, have offered a plan to address violent crimes like the Annunciation shooting, and one that's far more detailed than anything we've seen from their DFL counterparts.
The proposals include extending state school safety funding to nonpublic schools, new school security grants, an increase in school resource officers, more funding for mental health treatment beds and mandatory minimum prison sentences for repeat gun offenders.
“Minnesotans deserve real solutions that will meaningfully protect students and actually reduce gun violence,” House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said in a statement. “The policies we are proposing will protect students, provide desperately needed mental health care, and hold criminals who commit the vast majority of gun violence accountable.”
Republicans need to stick to their plan, Democrats need to define the terms of their gun ban, and Second Amendment supporters in Minnesota need to be in constant contact with their lawmakers and demand they take substantive steps to improve public safety without targeting a fundamental civil right.
