Twin Cities mayors want power to put firearm bans in place

Mayors call for gun law changes

Nearly a dozen mayors are calling for gun reform in the wake of last week?s mass shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - In the wake of the mass shooting at Annunciation Church, a coalition of Twin Cities metro mayors, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, called for state leaders to give them the power to put firearm restrictions into effect.

Calls for change

What we know:

At a Tuesday afternoon news conference, Mayor Jacob Frey laid out what the mayors wanted:

• A statewide and federal ban on assault weapons
• A ban on high-capacity magazines

If state or federal lawmakers are unable to move forward with legislation on these bans, the mayors are instead asking lawmakers to give cities the power to put in effect their own bans.

The backstory:

Minnesota state law prevents cities from putting in effect firearm regulations outside of barring firearms from being fired in the city or putting in place laws that match state bans.

In the wake of the shooting at Annunciation last week, which left two students dead and 21 others hurt, there has been a strong push by advocates in Minneapolis and beyond to bring about new gun regulations.

Last week, sources told FOX 9 that Governor Walz was considering a potential special session to deal with gun violence.

On Monday, Governor Walz confirmed he would move forward with a special session, but it's not clear exactly what bills could find support in the legislature.

What they're saying:

"You shouldn't have the ability to reel off 30 shots before you need to reload," argued Mayor Frey. "Assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, these are devices that were quite literally built and designed to kill people. Not built and designed to hunt deer, built and designed to pierce body armor, pierce somebody's flesh and take down a whole bunch of people all at once. There is no reason to have these kind of machinery in our cities."

Republican leaders want to take on ‘root causes’ of gun violence

The other side:

If the governor were to call a special session in the near future, any changes to gun laws would need some bipartisan support.

Last year, the DFL held a slight majority in the Senate, but faced split control in the House.

Following the assassination of Rep. Melissa Hortman, Republicans currently hold a majority in the House. Special elections are slated for Hortman's former seat along with two open Senate seats, which will decide control of the Senate.

Gov. Walz admitted on Tuesday he will need help from the GOP, saying, "I'm going to need some Republicans to break with the orthodoxy and say we need to do something about guns."

In statements following reports of a possible special session, Republicans said they would support some changes to combat gun violence. But, he criticized the governor's calls as political posturing.

"Republicans are committed to addressing the root causes of violence, supporting safe schools, and increasing access to mental health resources," said Senate Republican leader Mark Johnson. "Calling for a special session without even consulting legislative leaders is not a serious way to begin. This is a partisan stunt from a governor who continues to engage in destructive political rhetoric."

On Tuesday, House Speaker Lisa Demuth again blasted the governor for not consulting with legislative leaders. "As disappointing as it is that the governor is doing this in such an overtly political way, House Republicans stand ready to protect students and schools. I hope we can have a real conversation about all aspects of safety - including things like the school security funding that was denied by the DFL trifecta in 2023 and more funding for desperately needed mental health resources - instead of vague demands for policies that have not stopped gun violence in other states."