On the offensive

In the aftermath of the Annunciation Catholic School shooting in Minneapolis, Gov. Tim Walz indicated his desire to call a special session of the Minnesota Legislature to address "gun violence." Upon hearing this, my reaction was he's merely playing political games given he knows full well that Republicans will never acquiesce to banning certain firearms, thus there won't be the votes to get anything through the House. And in Walz's mind, that'll play well politically for the DFL since he likely believes he can use this as a wedge issue in 2026 in order for his party to re-obtain complete control of state government like they had in 2023 and 2024.

I wonder if Walz had any inkling that House Republicans would go on the offensive. 

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— MN House Republicans (@mnhousegop) September 4, 2025

The facts have always been on the side of Second Amendment advocates, specifically when it comes to the debate over "gun control." And the facts are that gun bans are not only unconstitutional but also ineffective. The bottom line is when there are nearly a half billion guns in circulation in the U.S., enforcing an actual ban would be logistically impossible. With that in mind, the most effective deterrent to gun violence is to ensure the wrong people don't gain access to firearms while allowing law abiding gun owners to exercise their rights in areas considered "soft targets" (i.e. schools). The fact the GOP came out and answered Walz's demagoguery with a substantive plan is a welcome change from flat-footed GOP caucuses of the past. 

In the end, it's quite unlikely any DFLer will sign on to these proposals because they don't ban guns which the Dems consider "SKERRRRRRRY!" As such, the GOP can control the messaging by pointing out they were the first to offer comprehensive solutions out of the gate. Sure, the media won't carry their water like they would've for the DFL, but an issue like this in our backyard can't be ignored. 

Your move, Dems. 

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