Walz Says Special Session Would Be ‘Waste of Time’ Without Votes on Gun Ban

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is apparently content to let schools (and students) across the state suffer from a lack of security if he can’t get his way on a gun and magazine ban. The governor has so far refused to call a special session of the legislature in response to the shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis in late August, despite repeatedly stating his desire to do so. Walz has insisted that lawmakers approve sweeping gun control laws, including a ban on so-called assault weapons and large capacity magazines during a special session, and has blamed Republicans for their opposition while ignoring the fact that some Democrats are opposed to his anti-gun machinations as well. 

Even if the two parties can’t agree on new gun control laws, Republicans have proposed a public safety package that would enable public and private schools to upgrade their security, as well as improve public access to mental health resources throughout the state. Walz, though, seems to be uninterested in any legislative response that doesn’t target the Second Amendment. 

“I need to get an agreement on this,” Walz told reporters. “If we’re going to hold a special session on safety of our children and safety of our streets and safety on gun violence. We need to talk about guns. And if the folks who hold veto power over this—which they do because of the makeup of the Legislature—if they say that’s not going to happen, calling a special session is going to be a waste of money and a waste of time.”

Walz last month said he would call a special session “one way or another” after the shooting, with or without Republican support for certain measures ahead of time. He alone has the power to do that.

He has met with DFL and GOP leaders in both chambers several times over the last several months to set parameters about what the work in a special session would look like, as is common practice, but neither side has found common ground. 

CBS News is correct that the power to call a special session rests solely with Walz, not legislators. While he may want to have broad agreement on what bills are adopted during the session, that’s not required under Minnesota law. In fact, while the governor has the sole authority to call a special session into existence, it’s up to the legislature to decide what issues and legislation will be heard, as well as how long the session will last. 

By now it’s clear that the votes aren’t there to pass Walz’s gun and magazine bans. There likely is enough support, however, to pass legislation that would give grants to public and private schools to improve security at specific facilities, and even add school resource officers to some campuses. Legislation aimed at adding additional mental health resources is also likely to find bipartisan approval, and given the fact that Minnesota is experiencing an acute crisis in mental health care, action is desperately needed. 

It sounds like Walz doesn’t really care about any of that, at least not beyond using those issues as bargaining chips to get what he really wants: a ban on commonly owned guns and magazines. Instead of adopting legislation where common ground can be found, the governor is now talking about holding town hall-style meetings to stump for gun control. 

Walz signaled he plans to maintain pressure on GOP lawmakers and keep the topic in the public eye with town halls. The governor’s office is talking with the House and Senate DFL caucuses about holding the town halls in the coming weeks.

“I’m going to be at town halls with some of these folks. These parents, and with these clergy and with doctors and with others,” Walz said.

… Walz said he believes the bans could possibly save lives and that he simply wants legislators to take a vote. If Republicans oppose it, he said, they “should be proudly on the floor upstairs voting no on a bill to ban them.”

“I’m not even getting the opportunity,” Walz said. “The parents are not getting the opportunity. The clergy are not getting the opportunity. The doctors are not getting the opportunity.”

Tim Walz is a lying, partisan hack. If all he wants is a vote then all he has to do is call a special session. Not only does he have the opportunity to see a gun and magazine bill voted on, he’s the only one who can make it happen. The governor can pretend all he wants that his hands are tied by Republican opposition, but the only reason lawmakers haven’t already debated and defeated a gun ban bill is because Walz believes it benefits him politically to not call lawmakers back to the capitol… and to blame Republicans for his own inaction. 

Walz is exploiting the Annunciation shooting and its victims as pawns for his own political gain, and it’s absolutely disgusting to watch. I hope he does hold some real town hall meetings (as opposed to carefully scripted gun control rallies), because the public should have the opportunity to call out his grotesque political maneuvers to his face. 

Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.

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