ST. PAUL — After two days of working group meetings on gun violence prevention, questions remain over whether Republicans and Democrats can reach agreement in a special session. On banning assault rifles, the outlook appears uncertain.
Republican Senator Eric Lucero of St. Michael said, “We’re here to talk about solutions and what we can do. It’s very clear that has been enumerated many times before passing new gun laws will be tied up in courts and not have an impact and likely found unconstitutional.”
DFL Senator Ron Latz of St. Louis Park countered, “It’s not just the Democrats job to pass an assault weapons ban. We will try. We will try but it should be and it is an obligation of every member of the legislature to take steps to go after the weapons, not just the people.”
Latz added, “I think it’s valuable to vet these issues and to hold legislators accountable so their constituents know where they are on these issues. I also think there’s a reasonable possibility of getting some of these things passed and I think we have to try.”
Republican Senator Andrew Mathews of Princeton noted, “A lot of these bills about guns are going to be very tough discussions and they’ve had bipartisan opposition in the past. Our legislature is so closely divided that anything that we do will have to be bipartisan supported.”
It’s now up to Governor Tim Walz to decide if and when to call a special session, which is expected soon.
