Annunciation families pressure House Republicans to allow gun safety vote

Minnesota gun safety bill under pressure

Annunciation student parents are pressuring Minnesota’s House Republicans to allow a vote on a gun safety bill proposed following the mass shooting. FOX 9’s Corin Hoggard explains.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Parents affected by the Annunciation mass shooting are demanding action from House Republicans on a gun safety bill inspired by their personal loss.

Annunciation families push for House vote on gun safety bill

What we know:

The Minnesota Senate passed a comprehensive gun safety bill last week, but House Republicans have not allowed it to move forward. The bill was created in response to the August 27 mass shooting at Annunciation Church, which killed two students and injured about 30 people.

Annunciation parents, including Mike Moyski and Malia Kimbrell, have been vocal in their push for change.

Moyski said Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth promised last September not to block a vote on gun safety bills, but he believes she is now doing just that.

"There are people who have the power to make this come to fruition in a vote. And that's what we're asking for," said Kimbrell.

Healthcare workers joined parents at the Capitol, demonstrating the scale of the emergency response needed after the shooting and urging lawmakers to act.

Dr. Trish Valusek, a trauma surgeon at Children's Minnesota, said, "That's what breaks my heart, is this was entirely preventable, and we knew it was preventable. And we didn't do anything to prevent it. And we still haven't."

Gun safety bill fate in Minnesota

Annunciation parents are urging House Republicans to allow a vote on a comprehensive gun safety bill that includes school safety funding, mental health support and bans on assault weapons after a mass shooting in August. FOX 9’s Corin Hoggard has the latest details on the proposal.

Gun safety bill debate

Why you should care:

The House is currently tied, and gun safety measures — including bans on assault weapons and high capacity magazines — have stalled in committees.

Speaker Demuth insists she has not broken her promise, stating that the Senate bill has not passed any House committees and therefore cannot be brought to a vote.

However, Rep. Jamie Long of Minneapolis questioned this, pointing out that the House has moved forward with eight other bills in the same time frame.

"It's been three days since the bill passed the Senate," he said last Thursday. "We have reported in that time eight bills, including one bill today. And I don't get to ask you your motive for not hearing it, but I think it's pretty clear to the public, which is that we are hiding this bill to prevent it from coming up for a vote in front of the House. It's been three days that it has been in our possession, and we have not moved it forward. More importantly, it's been 253 days since the tragedy at Annunciation Church," said Long.

The Senate bill includes measures supported by both parties: more funding for school safety and mental health, bans on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, binary triggers and ghost guns.

Annunciation parents say they will not give up if the bill does not pass. Moyski and others plan to keep pushing lawmakers, hoping to spare other families from the grief they now live with.

Several healthcare workers and parents demonstrated at the Capitol, showing the community support behind the bill and the pressure on lawmakers to act.

What we don't know:

It is not yet clear if or when the House will allow a vote on the Senate's gun safety bill, or what changes — if any — might be made to its provisions before it advances.