New Minnesota Gun Owners Put to the Test As Lawmakers Return to Statehouse

The surge in gun ownership and concealed carry in some of Minnesota’s most liberal areas appears to be real, but how many of the thousands of folks who are exercising their Second Amendment rights are willing to fight for them remains to be seen. With the 2026 legislative session kicking off tomorrow and Democrat lawmakers looking to ban so-called assault weapons and large capacity magazines, we’ll soon see if the surge in interest towards the right to keep and bear arms will translate to any pushback to the Dems’ gun control agenda from the left. 

Maggiy Emery from Protect Minnesota said, “We’re asking that this year we ban weapons of war on the streets of Minnesota.”

She emphasized the need for a ban on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and firearms on the Minnesota State Capitol campus.

Gov. Tim Walz has been twisting arms in his push for a ban on “assault weapons” as well, and while one fence-sitting state senator has publicly stated she’s now in favor of the ban, its still unclear whether a bill can pass the Democrat-controlled state Senate. The prospects are even dimmer in the House, where neither party has a majority but Republican Rep. Lisa DeMuth serves as Speaker. 

After the Annunciation shooting in August, there were widespread calls from DFLers and gun-control advocates for a special legislative session to pass new restrictions on guns and boost school safety. Despite Walz saying a special session would happen “one way or another,” disagreements between DFLers and GOP leaders on how to best protect schools stopped that from happening.

No, it was Walz’s political impotence that stopped a special session from happening. The governor is the only person in the state authorized to call a special session, and it was Walz who backed off despite his earlier proclamation that one would happen “one way or another” when it became clear that his gun and magazine ban would fail if it came to a vote. In fact, Democrats never even floated a specific bill, choosing instead to talk about a ban in the vaguest of terms. 

Walz and almost all DFL lawmakers support a ban on so-called assault weapons. They’d also like to see limits on magazine capacity. But with no Republican support and possible DFL holdouts, prospects of such bills passing remain uncertain.

In the face of what DFLers called Republican “stalling” and “stonewalling” on guns, Walz issued executive orders in December aimed at educating the public on existing Minnesota gun-safety policies and laying the groundwork for future gun-control legislation.

Republicans have pointed out that some DFL lawmakers are holdouts on new gun-control laws.

Even though the GOP is tied with the DFL in the House, gun bills still wouldn’t pass in the Senate, where the DFL has a one-seat majority.

Some DFL senators from rural districts have resisted gun-control bills, including Grant Hauschild of Hermantown and Rob Kupec of Moorhead.

When the DFL controlled the Senate, House and governor’s office in 2023 and 2024, they did not pass a ban on assault weapons — semiautomatic rifles with features like pistol grips and detachable magazines.

Republicans have backed boosting funding for school security and mental health services rather than new gun restrictions as ways to prevent violence.

There are three things to watch for in the state Senate. First, whether Hauschild and Kupec, who both represent more rural areas of the state, remain opposed to bans on commonly owned arms. Second, whether the surge in gun sales and concealed carry applications in the Twin Cities will lead to any kind of grassroots opposition to Walz’s gun ban demands from the left. And finally, if there are signs that progressive gun owners are urging lawmakers representing liberal enclaves like Minneapolis, St. Paul, and the Twin Cities suburbs, will any of those lawmakers drop their support for Walz’s gun ban agenda? 

I’m cautiously optimistic that Hauschild and Kupec won’t fall in line behind Walz, and I’m curious to see if any of these new gun owners are taking the extra step of actively defending their 2A rights. I’m also skeptical that any urban DFL lawmaker will be persuaded to oppose a gun and magazine ban, even if a growing number of their constituents are demanding they take that step, but I’d love to be surprised. 

As for the House, gun owners need to urge their representatives to stand firm in opposition. If a single Republican waffles and embraces Walz’s anti-2A agenda, it could prove disastrous for the right to keep and bear arms. We’re already likely to see semi-auto bans enacted in Virginia and New Mexico this year, and the gun control lobby is going to be working hard to gain a gun ban trifecta and give Walz the opportunity to sign a bill taking the most popular rifles in the country off the market. 

Editor’s Note: 2A groups across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.

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