(C) Minnesota Reformer This story was originally published by Minnesota Reformer and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The gun control debate at the Capitol is going as expected • Minnesota Reformer [1] ['Madison Mcvan', 'Michelle Griffith', 'Katie Mckellar', 'Alixel Cabrera', 'Kyle Dunphey', 'More From Author', 'September', '.Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus-Coauthors.Is-Layout-Flow', 'Class', 'Wp-Block-Co-Authors-Plus'] Date: 2025-09-17 Tensions between Democrats and Republicans were on full display during the second and final meeting of a state Senate working group on gun violence prevention, just two days after the lawmakers expressed a willingness to work together following a Minneapolis school shooting that killed two children and injured 21 others. Democratic-Farmer-Labor members of the working group put forward a number of gun policy proposals, many of which have gotten hearings in recent legislative sessions: safe storage requirements; funding for gun violence prevention research; and bans on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and binary triggers, which increase the rate of fire of a gun. The Republican members held the line on their party’s opposition to any measure that would place new restrictions on firearms. They did not submit any specific proposals for consideration, citing a lack of time to prepare. Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, is an attorney who chaired the working group. He spent much of the first hour of the meeting pressing Republicans to state their position on a bill that would require gun owners to store their firearms unloaded and equipped with a locking device; or loaded or unloaded in a locked firearm storage unit or gun room. “Is there any objection to moving forward with a discussion, with an eye toward finding agreement on language for a safe storage-type bill?” Latz asked the Republican working group members. Sen. Jeff Howe, R-Rockville, responded: “I don’t think it’s right for us to tell an author of a bill that they can’t continue to work on a bill. I think if you’ve got an idea for the bill, continue to work on the bill.” Latz replied: “Are you volunteering then…to try to come up with language that might advance the concept of a safe storage bill? Or is anyone on the GOP side of this committee willing to say that they are comfortable with the idea and are willing to work on language that might be acceptable?” Howe: “We’re five folks. There are (32)* of us on this side of the aisle. Just because we don’t — and we may or may not, I can’t speak for the other members of the committee,” he said before describing his gun safes. Another member of his party might be interested in working on the bill, he said. Latz grew visibly frustrated at what he deemed evasive answers. After the meeting, Republican members criticized the DFL for giving members short notice to submit proposals. “Democrats have repeatedly been shooting or voting our ideas down,” Sen. Eric Lucero, R-Saint Michael, told reporters after the meeting. Sen. Keri Heintzeman, R-Nisswa, said the testimony from the parents of children shot in the Annunciation attack had not changed her opposition to an assault weapons ban. Chad Kuyper, co-lead of the Minnesota Chapter of Moms Demand Action, released a statement after the meeting, excoriating Republicans for inaction: “Minnesotans are literally begging lawmakers to come to the table and help craft real solutions to our gun violence crisis – and Republicans won’t even bother to try.” Gov. Tim Walz said he will call a special session on gun violence prevention this year. It’s not clear whether Senate Democrats have the votes in their own party to pass an assault weapons ban; with Republicans controlling half of the House, the chances of passing any gun control measures are slim. Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the number of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. There are 32 Republicans and 33 Democrats in the Senate until two Nov. 4 special elections to replace former Sens. Bruce Anderson, R-Buffalo, who died in July, and Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, who resigned after being convicted of felony burglary. [END] --- [1] Url: https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/09/17/the-gun-control-debate-at-the-capitol-is-going-as-expected/ Published and (C) by Minnesota Reformer Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/MnReformer/