Hundreds of Minnesota clergy demand assault-weapons ban
About 750 clergy from across Minnesota gathered at the State Capitol in St. Paul, delivering a letter to Gov. Tim Walz and lawmakers calling for a special legislative session to ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The group — representing more than 60 of the state's 87 counties — launched a "Seven Days of Prayer and Action," holding noon prayer vigils on the Capitol steps for a week; the action was organized in response to the Annunciation Church mass shooting that killed two children and wounded dozens.
Local Government
Public Safety
📌 Key Facts
- 750 clergy members signed and delivered a letter demanding a special session to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines
- Clergy represent more than 60 of Minnesota's 87 counties and will hold daily noon prayer vigils on the Capitol steps for one week
- The action was prompted by the Annunciation Church mass shooting (two killed; roughly 30 people injured), and Gov. Tim Walz said he may not call a special session because Republican opposition could block a vote
📚 Contextual Background
- At that news conference, Minnesota doctors called for a statewide ban on assault-style weapons, a statewide ban on high-capacity magazines, a statewide requirement that firearms be stored locked and unloaded and separate from ammunition, and the removal of the current prohibition on local municipalities enacting firearm regulations stricter than the state.
- Minnesota House Republican leaders Speaker Lisa Demuth (R–Cold Spring) and House Floor Leader Representative Harry Niska (R–Ramsey) said their party would favorably consider, during a special legislative session, bills related to improving school and student safety, improving mental-health access and funding, and improving public safety, without proposing additional statewide gun restrictions.
- Minnesota law classifies investigative data collected or created by a law enforcement agency to prepare a case as confidential or protected nonpublic while the investigation is active.