Minnesota's Democratic governor proposed a special session to debate stricter gun laws

Minnesota's Democratic governor, Tim Walz, commented Tuesday that he plans to call a special session of his state Legislature to consider more gun restrictions and stricter gun laws. Walz issued his comments in the context of the recent shooting in Minneapolis, when a young transgender man named Robin Westman carried out his attack inside a Catholic school, leaving two children dead and nearly two dozen people wounded.

During a press conference, Walz told reporters that the package he planned to propose was "very comprehensive" and could include a total ban on assault weapons. Similarly, the governor added that he would call state lawmakers to work on a plan in the coming days, noting that he would need to receive the support of several Republican lawmakers, considering how divided the state Legislature currently is. "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," the Minnesota governor commented.

Walz added in his press conference other possibilities that could be included in his proposal, such as new requirements on safe storage, mental health funding and liability insurance. "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," commented the Democratic governor, who assured that his proposals would not represent a violation of the Second Amendment of the Constitution.