The Minnesota Legislature appears light years away from passing stricter gun laws.
On Wednesday, five Republicans on a Senate Gun Violence Prevention Working Group made clear that they do not want to work with DFL lawmakers on gun legislation.
Republicans faulted each of the DFL’s proposals as in violation of the Second Amendment, or raised hypotheticals to demonstrate the bills were impractical.
Sen. Eric Lucero, R-Dayton, said that he does not want to ban guns without serial numbers because it would criminalize pre-serial number guns made in the 19th century.
Sen. Rich Draheim, R-Madison Lake, opposed a law to let cities ban guns on municipally owned property. Draheim reasoned that roads are publicly owned and maybe a zealous municipality would ban guns on roads and begin to pull over out-of-town motorists.
Mostly, Republicans faulted the working panel itself, calling its timing “rushed” and stating they had no time to write their own bills. This put working group co-Chair Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, in a state of simmering agitation.
Related: Annunciation parents’ pain dominates Minnesota Capitol gun violence hearing
“This conversation is about three or four decades too late,” Latz said. “You had a lot of time to come up with proposals. And I can tell you, after the Annunciation shooting, it took me 15 minutes to put together a six- or seven-point proposal.”
Following the assassination of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, and a shooting at Annunciation Catholic school and church in Minneapolis that claimed two children’s lives and injured 21 others, DFLers have succeeded in keeping gun control in the public eye.
The first working group hearing, held Monday, featured gut-wrenching testimony from Annunciation parents about how their children’s lives are irrevocably changed.
But, judging from the second (and likely final) hearing, DFLers will not translate that publicity into persuasion.
What was it like to be at the hearing?
There was a visceral sense of discomfort as Latz’s patience with GOP members waxed and waned.
Much of the co-chair’s ire was directed at Lucero, who teed off the hearing by reading excerpts from the 2018 self-help book “Atomic Habits.”
“The book calls for a stable and predictable environment,” Lucero said. “I thought that was very relevant to the discussion we’re having.”
Lucero subsequently criticized each gun bill for not remedying the unstable environments that cause violence, or called the preliminary legislative language in a bill “vague.”
Latz told Lucero, “The whole point of this working group was to not look at specific language but rather to talk about concepts and proposals.”
Lucero replied, “I won’t support anything unless I see it in writing.”
Related: Republicans release school safety agenda; DFLers call for assault weapons ban
The tensest exchange, though, was between Rich Draheim, R-Madison Lake, and working group co-chair Zaynab Mohamed, DFL-Minneapolis.
Draheim said that he had listened to police scanners in the Twin Cities and from that had learned that Minneapolis is a haven for drug-related violence.
“I can’t imagine raising my family in that environment,” Draheim said.
When it was Mohamed’s turn to speak, she glanced at each of her GOP colleagues and declared, “I’m really sick and tired of the way in which you all characterize the city of Minneapolis.”
Meanwhile, Republicans were upset with how DFLers described rural areas.
Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Jeff Howe, R-Rockville, described how much he liked to fire his assault weapon at a shooting range and said that urbanites did not sufficiently appreciate his pastime.
What comes next for Republicans and DFLers?
In a divided Legislature, Gov. Tim Walz does not have the votes to pass an assault weapons ban during a special legislative session.
Walz and DFLers hope that a parent-led gun control movement can change the legislative math, but the hearing Wednesday suggested otherwise.
Working group member Keri Heintzeman, R-Grand Rapids, related to reporters the pain she felt listening to Annunciation parents testify.
Those parents explicitly testified in support of Mohamed’s proposal to ban 17 different types of assault rifles. Had the testimony changed Heintzeman’s view on an assault weapons ban? The senator replied, “No.”
Related: Lawmakers sign pledge to lower the tone ahead of gun control debate
Moreover, DFLers have not convinced members of their own caucus to pass an assault weapons ban, or even less consequential measures like a proposal to raise awareness about an existing red flag gun law.
Sen. Ron Kupec, DFL-Moorhead, said in an interview this week that he doubts an assault weapons ban would help because Minnesotans could just buy an assault rifle in Wisconsin.
“In the end, it’s really something the federal government needs to do,” Kupec said.
The moderate DFLer said his constituents are 50-50 on whether to pass stricter gun laws.
Republicans say voters in their districts have not changed their minds on guns following the state’s violent summer.
“The majority of emails I’ve gotten — like 100 to one — is not to do this,” Draheim said of the assault weapons ban. “Maybe 200 to one.”
The post At heated Senate hearing, Minnesota Republicans did not budge on guns appeared first on MinnPost.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
