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One month after the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church that forever changed their community, students are back in the classroom. But state lawmakers are still at odds about what to do in response.
Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders met again Thursday to discuss a special session, the latest in a series of meetings in recent weeks in an effort to find an agreement before Walz officially calls the Legislature back to St. Paul to meet, which he vowed to do in the wake of the tragedy.
"We've had several meetings where we've had a chance to exchange our views and talk about how we want to proceed," said Rep. Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, new leader of the House Democrats. "But we're getting to the point where the rubber needs to meet the road."
For Democrats, one of the solutions is clear: ban assault style weapons and high-capacity magazines. It's also the step that some Annunciation families implored lawmakers to take at a hearing earlier this month.
Cutting across party lines is essential for anything to pass out of the state Capitol. The House is tied and neither party in the Senate currently has 34 votes -- a majority in the chamber at full strength and threshold to pass legislation -- due to some vacancies, including the seat once held by DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell, who resigned this summer after a burglary conviction.
GOP lawmakers released their list of proposals, which includes more funding for mental health support and grants for school security, among other measures. They have not pitched any gun-related bills and none have indicated that they would join Democrats to support them.
"We have to have bipartisan support to move any bill through the process of committee and to the floor. And right now in the Legislature overall, what I understand is there are not the votes that would support a ban on guns," said House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring.
Some DFL lawmakers in recent years rejected some bills aimed at boosting safety, like requirements to secure guns and mandatory reporting of lost or stolen firearms. An assault weapons ban hasn't received a legislative hearing in that time even when Democrats controlled both chambers during the 2023 and 2024 sessions.
"The open question is: are House Republicans, are Senate Republicans, willing to meet the moment and take strong action on guns, or are they not?" Stephenson said.
The power to call a special session rests solely with the governor, so he could call it at any time. But typically, the governor works with legislative leaders to set parameters on what that looks like before it happens.
Walz told reporters after the latest meeting Thursday he is still committed to a compromise and to calling lawmakers back to St. Paul, though he did not say when that would be. The 2026 regular session will begin in mid-February.
"My goal is to get something done and pass it, not just the optics of coming back -- you don't come back to a special session and let it melt down into anything," Walz said.