Sparse Turnout for Gun Ban Rally at Minnesota Capitol

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Democrat leadership in the state legislature have been demanding a ban on so-called assault weapons ever since the shooting at a Catholic Church in Minneapolis in late August, and they’ve been targeting Republican lawmakers for their opposition while ignoring the fact that not every Democratic lawmaker is on board with a ban either. 

Walz has repeatedly said he’s calling a special session of the legislature in response to the shooting, though he has yet to officially put one on the calendar. Gun control activists are trying to take advantage of the delay by rallying support for a gun ban, but a highly publicized protest at the state capitol this past weekend resulted in poor turnout, with only a few dozen anti-gunners showing up to lend their support for a ban on commonly-owned firearms. 

A few dozen gathered for a rally on the steps of the Minnesota Capitol on Saturday to demand state lawmakers convene a special session to address gun reform.

Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action, faith leaders, and parents and other members of the Annunciation Catholic School community led the “Don’t Look Away” rally. The event was held exactly one month after a shooter opened fire at Annunciation Church and School.

Speaking to those gathered, Annunciation Catholic School parent Tess Rada read the names of 30 children killed in school shootings across the U.S. since 2021.

“They’re not politicians’ points, they’re not numbers, they’re not statistics, they’re kids,” Rada said, during an interview with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.

Yes, they are. But Rada shouldn’t pretend she’s not using them as “points” for her own anti-gun activism. More importantly, though, is that an “assault weapons” ban wouldn’t have saved their lives. The Columbine shooting happened in the middle of the ten-year federal ban on so-called assault weapons. The deadliest school shooting in U.S. history was committed by someone using handguns, not long guns. And as we’ve recently seen in Colorado, Utah, and Texas, committed killers have no problem using revolvers or bolt-action rifles to carry out their attacks. 

A ban on a particular kind of firearm isn’t the answer, and not just because bans on commonly owned arms are unconstitutional. In fact, a recent survey by KTSP-TV in Minnesota found that 40% of voters want a special session to address mental health, while 30% say the focus should be on gun control. That same survey found 53% support for an “assault weapon” ban, but support fell below 50% in every portion of the state outside of the Twin Cities. 

Politicians like Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have also been pretty vague about their definition of an “assault weapon,” though KTSP reporter Renée Cooper pressed Frey on specifics in an interview earlier this month:

Renée Cooper (Sept. 2): “Assault weapon is a fairly arbitrary term that would need to be defined. Are you talking about banning certain models? Certain assaultive features? Speak to how you’re defining assault weapon.”

Mayor Jacob Frey, Minneapolis (Sept. 2): “Generally speaking, we’re talking about guns and devices that are built to be assault weapons, and/or devices that are built to shift non-assault weapons to be able to reel off a whole bunch of bullets all at once… We’re trying to prevent both of those things from happening.”

Good for Cooper for asking that question, and for providing Frey’s non-response. An “assault weapon” is a gun that is built to be an “assault weapon”? 

Shouldn’t Frey at least be able to define or detail what guns he wants to ban? The mayor is clearly clueless, but that’s not really surprising. The specifics are far less important to anti-gun politicians (and activists) than passing a ban in some shape or form. After all, it’s been four weeks since the shooting at the Church of the Annuciation, and despite the repeated calls for a ban by Walz and Democratic officials, we have yet to see the text of an actual gun ban bill. 

That’s plenty of time to write legislation, but these politicians have instead been spouting bumper sticker slogans and trying to blame Republicans for their own inaction. GOP lawmakers in Minnesota have already offered specific plans to increase school security and bolster the state’s crumbling mental health system, but Walz continues to insist that a special session must be focused on gun control. 

Maybe the governor will change his tune after the anemic turnout in support of a gun ban at the state capitol last weekend, but I doubt it. Walz is too wedded to the gun control lobby to focus his attention on substantive steps to add school resource officers and specific security measures to K-12 campuses, even if those improvements would do far more to protect students than banning whatever guns he believes are “assault weapons.” 

Editor’s Note: Democrats like Tim Walz will stop at nothing to enact their radical gun control agenda and strip us of our Second Amendment rights.

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