Annunciation shooting parents watch as DFL stages 39-hour sit-in for gun safety vote
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A gun safety sit-in at the capitol is stretching far longer than planned as lawmakers and families push for a vote on new gun laws.
Minnesota Democrats extend sit-in to demand gun safety action
What we know:
The sit-in began Thursday night after the House ended its session without voting on the Senate’s gun safety bill. About two dozen DFL lawmakers immediately started the protest, which was supposed to wrap up Friday morning, but was extended to Saturday at noon.
Rep. Kim Hicks said, "We're napping. The chamber has really nice couches." She added, "It's an opportunity to reflect, and it's also an opportunity to feel like we're doing something. We're standing up for something."
The protest is a response to Republican leadership not acknowledging the bill, which passed the Senate eleven days ago.
The bill aims to ban assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, ghost guns, and binary triggers. It also includes funding for school safety and mental health support.
Annunciation parents, still grieving after the Aug. 27 mass shooting that killed Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel and wounded about 30 others, have been vocal in their support for new gun safety measures.
Mike Moyski, Harper's father, said he and his wife Jackie Flavin didn’t appreciate a GOP attempt to acknowledge them in the audience after they prevented a vote on the bill, but they support the effort of the sit-in, saying, "I think the sit-in is meaningful. I think they know that the bill's not passing. I think it's not coming to a vote, but they're standing up for Minnesotans and their constituents in the only way they know how."
The sit-in will continue behind locked and guarded doors until noon Saturday.
Only members are allowed inside, but Moyski said he feels the support and may return before the session ends Sunday at midnight.
Republican leaders push back on gun safety bill
The other side:
Republicans argue that the bill would turn law-abiding gun owners into criminals, may violate the Second Amendment, and would not make people safer.
The Senate version of the bill also includes funding for school safety and mental health support.
Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth said, "Now the sit-in that is happening, that will not block the work that has to be done, but there is a lot to do."
She also said she is not breaking a promise to Harper’s parents not to block gun safety votes, since most of the same measures failed in House committees.
The debate over gun safety measures continues to draw strong opinions from both sides, with families and lawmakers closely watching what happens next.
The backstory:
Annunciation parents have been advocating for change since last summer’s shooting, which killed two children and injured many others.
The push for new laws has become a focal point at the Capitol, especially as the legislative session nears its end.