Walz teases Minnesota special session on gun reform in wake of mass shooting

Minnesota governor and former Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz on Tuesday told reporters that he expects to call a special session of the Minnesota state legislature in order to push through some gun reforms.

The special session comes in the wake of a mass shooting which left two students dead, and 21 more people injured, including 18 children, after 23-year-old transgender shooter Robin Westman targeted students at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.

Walz said he plans to propose a “very comprehensive” package that could include an assault-weapons ban, but said the package would not infringe on the Second Amendment. He also admitted that he would need support from Republicans.

“To be very candid, just in a very evenly divided [Legislature], I’m going to need some Republicans to break with the orthodoxy and say that we need to do something on guns,” Walz said, per the Associated Press.

Walz said he expects to call lawmakers about the proposed package later this week to work on the plan and that he is open to Republican ideas. 

The governor, who did not go into details of the plan, said it would protect students and indicated it could include safe storage and liability insurance requirements, changes to the state’s “red flag” law and funding for mental health resources.

Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth indicated that Republicans could be open to expanding funding for school security to include private schools, and include more funding for mental health resources.

“If Minnesota lets this moment slide, and we determine that it’s OK for little ones to not be safe in a school environment or a church environment, then shame on us,” Walz said.

Walz did not indicate when the special session would take place.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.