It was a bumpy Wednesday morning for a bipartisan Gun Violence Prevention Working Group at the state capitol.
That group is going over proposals ahead of a potential special legislative session to address gun violence. While not taking any official legislative action, the group was hoping to find some consensus on proposals before Gov. Tim Walz would call a special session to address Minnesota's gun laws, and other possible solutions to slow down gun violence and mass shootings.
Republican Senator Eric Lucero and committee co-chair, DFL Senator Ron Latz, began discussing a proposal to ban binary triggers which an aftermarket modification for semi-automatic firearms. Their discussion seems to show a disconnect as to why they are even meeting.
"I won't support anything unless I see it in writing before me," said Lucero.
"All right. Well then Senator Lucero, I don't know why you're here because the whole point of this working group was to not look at specific language, but rather to talk about concepts and proposals, ideas to try to move forward," Latz answered. "If there were a legislative session and you were asked to put up a green vote or a red vote, then you can look at the language and decide if you support it."
The 11-person committee has also been going over proposals regarding safe storage for firearms. Lucero thinks it's an overreach by the government to tell citizens how to store their firearms.
"If they want to protect and defend themselves and their families, in a very quick moment, because things happen in the flash of a second, access to be able to defend themselves is critically important," Lucero told the committee.
So far, not much has gotten done though.
"I don't want us to get down this road where we have to compare tragic moments with each other," said DFL State Senator Heather Gustafson. "So that we can feel as if that justifies us not doing anything on gun policy."
Latz says they've received a number of proposals, but the response hasn't been bipartisan casting doubt they can get anything up for a vote in a special session.
"We didn't get anything from the Republican members of the State Senate save for one suggestion relating to medications," said Latz. "Some of those were mentioned at the hearing, but none of them were submitted as proposals or bill drafts or anything like that for us to even have on the agenda."
The working group was created in the wake of the deadly Annunciation Church mass shooting, which unfolded three weeks ago this Wednesday.
The committee heard testimony from parents of children from Annunciation school in south Minneapolis on Monday.
"That was the most gut-wrenching hearing I've been throughout the Senate, and I've chaired quite a number of difficult hearings on the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee over the years, and this was just so hard," Latz explained. "I mean, the pain was palpable and I just can't imagine being in that position. It was really, really hard."
Republican members of the Senate Gun Violence Prevention Working Group are expected to address the media following the conclusion of the working group hearing on Wednesday.