Opponents and supporters of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's proposed bans on semi-automatic long guns and "large capacity" magazines testified in the House Public Safety committee on Tuesday, but don't be surprised if many consumers of Minnesota news media are completely unaware that there was any objection to the legislation, at least outside of the Republicans on the committee.
Rep. Walter Hudson is one of those Republicans, and he blasted Twin Cities TV station KTSP on Wednesday for its one sided coverage of the hearing.
Read the article.
— Walter Hudson (@WalterHudson) February 25, 2026
There's not a single quote from, or mention of, any of the opposition to these bills, attendees or testifiers.
There's no coverage of a single argument made. Just feels.
This is not journalism. This is narrative casting. https://t.co/dS5E4RQokg
He's right. The only mention of any opponents are these two sentences, buried deep in the story:
Earlier, before the vote, House Republican leaders issued a statement suggesting the proposed gun bans were unconstitutional.
It said, in part, “We’re glad the governor finally acknowledges that addressing mental health, early intervention, and making our schools safe for students, will help prevent violence.”
KTSP could have quoted MN Gun Owners Law Center's Rob Doar, MN Gun Owners Caucus's Anna Learny, or Advancing America's Freedom's Amy Swearer, all of whom testified against the bills before the committee. Instead, the station devoted paragraph after paragraph to lawmakers and activists in favor of the gun and magazine ban, especially those connected to the mass shooting at Annunciation Church last August.
As lawmakers on the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee heard testimony, the desks of Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel, who lost their lives in the Annunciation shooting, were on display in the rotunda.
“Even amongst the greatest darkness, there’s light, and these are the things that you do when tragedy hits,” declared Harper’s father, Mike. “You stand up for what you believe is right and you don’t stop.”
Mike says he and others with the Annunciation Light Alliance, a parents’ group, have been meeting with DFL and GOP lawmakers, urging them to pass gun control legislation.
“I think the frequency of events occurring, right? It’s in schools, it’s in churches, it’s all over the place,” he notes. “But now, it seems like every other day, we hear different events related to gun violence. So, I think it’s important to talk about and hit the head on these conversations.”
By no means am I suggesting that Mike's point of view not be covered. But how about mentioning that, contrary to his comments suggesting "gun violence" is on the rise, the data shows 2025 had the lowest homicide rate since the FBI started keeping track in 1960. In Minneapolis specifically, murders dropped from 77 to 64 (and that number includes the two children shot and killed in the Annunciation attack), shootings were down 18%, and carjackings decreased by more than 70%.
Sadly, KTSP isn't the only Minnesota news outlet engaged in narrative building instead of journalism.
In a piece headlined "DFLers, Annunciation families call for gun control, but prospects still dim," the St. Paul Pioneer Press devoted 30 paragraphs to supporters of the gun and magazine ban before quoting a whopping three sentences of Doar's testimony before the committee. Swearer and Learny's comments didn't even merit a mention.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune also failed to quote any opponent of the gun and magazine bans who testified on Tuesday in it's coverage, though the paper did give MN Gun Owners Caucus Chair Bryan Strawser four sentences out of 25 paragraphs.
These media outlets didn't just ignore the voices in opposition to the governor's anti-gun agenda. They also failed to report basic facts about the bills. None of the outlets cited above informed readers or viewers that the magazine ban could put existing owners in prison for up to two years simply for keeping ahold of the magazines they lawfully purchased.
The Pioneer Press, meanwhile, was the only to report that the gun ban included a provision allowing existing owners to keep their "battlefield weapons of war," but only after obtaining a certificate of ownership from law enforcement, submitting their fingerprints, and allowing police to enter their homes without a warrant and advance notice in order to inspect how they're storing their "assault weapon."
Of all of the coverage I've seen, the Pioneer Press story was probably the most informative, but it was still heavily skewed towards the pro-gun control side of the debate. Anyone looking for reporting that gave meaningful time and space to the opponents of the gun control bill were surely disappointed... unless they got their news from Bearing Arms and other explicitly pro-Second Amendment outlets.
