Now is the time for the appearance of action. From the local ABC affiliate KSTP-5,
Gov. Walz is reportedly in talks to hold a special session to address gun laws.
This, of course, is in response to the horrific attack perpetrated on a Minneapolis Catholic school/church earlier this week, apparently by a 23-year-old transgendered person.
Walz wants to ignore the attacker and the victims and focus on the tools. Truth be told, more damage could be done with diesel fuel and fertilizer than even the most sophisticated firearms.
In Minnesota, the Governor is free to call a special session anytime he wants. Once called, the legislature is not under any obligation to do his bidding. And only the legislature decides when a special session ends.
At present, both the state House and state Senate are short-handed with a number of vacancies to be filled in special elections in November. At present, Walz would need to have Republican votes to pass anything in each chamber.
Apparently, he’s not even talking with Republicans in these “talks.” KSTP reports,
House Floor Leader Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, claims his party has not been involved in any talks of a special session, saying that if the reports were true, it would be a “partisan stunt.”
Down the hallway.
Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, echoed Niska’s remarks on partisanship and said any legislation should address school security and access to mental health resources.
But, perhaps the real audience are the voters in Minneapolis and St. Paul, who are hosting regular municipal elections this November.
DFL Sen. Omar Fateh, who is campaigning to be mayor of Minneapolis, called on Walz to organize a special session to “address the easy access to weapons of war in our communities” — including a ban on assault rifles and high-capacity magazines.
Meanwhile, Fox News quotes the Minneapolis chief of police, Brian O’Hara,
However, he added, “we have not identified a triggering event or a specific grievance against the church that you could point to, to say ‘this is the reason for why this happened.’”
And they never will.
