Survivors and some family members of the Annunciation Catholic Church and School shooting hugged one another and cried as they left a committee hearing Tuesday afternoon.
After their first mass demonstration at the Capitol, they watched as the House Committee on Public Safety and Judiciary voted 10-10 on a pair of bills that would ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. The tied result stalled the bills and frustrated supporters, who committed to continuing their push for tougher gun restrictions this session.
“I think I was not shocked by the outcome of today. We went in understanding what we’re up against in this conversation,” said Mike Moyski, whose daughter Harper was killed in the August shooting. “I’ve already lost my daughter, right? I have one at home. I’m here, and our group is here because we want to drive change for everybody else.”
Moyski and other members of the Annunciation community testified in favor of the proposals, providing tragic details of the shooting that killed two and wounded dozens.
They said they’re resolved to keep pushing until something changes. But that could be a steep climb in the narrowly split Minnesota Legislature where Democrats have a single-seat Senate majority and the House is evenly divided.
Jackie Flavin, Moyski’s wife, told the House committee about the severe damage a high-capacity weapon did to her daughter’s body.
“I’m still waiting for someone to explain why a weapon capable of this level of destruction belongs in ordinary civilian life. I haven’t heard an answer that holds up yet,” Flavin told lawmakers. “We can’t fix everything overnight, but we can decide what kind of fire power is normal in civilian life. We can decide that some things are simply too destructive to be casual. Minnesota can be brave.”
Rob Doar, president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Law Center, said the proposals would invite lawsuits if enacted. He also said they could drive sales of the banned devices underground. He suggested focusing on mental health resources.
“The best way to honor victims isn’t through symbolic prohibition of a particular category of arms, but by preventing the next attack, no matter the weapon, no matter the method, through targeted intervention early warning systems and strategies that focus on the individuals who pose a risk,” Doar said.
Republicans argue the bans are unworkable and said they could potentially violate Minnesotans’ constitutional right to bear arms. Ultimately, they all voted against the bills.
“Again, much concern expressed about constitutional rights and being allegiant to the oath that we all took when we took our oath of office,” Rep. Walter Hudson, of St. Michael, said. “And now here we are looking at two bills that completely gut the Second Amendment indescribably.”
In the face of increasingly deadly shootings, Rep. Emma Greenman, DFL-Minneapolis, said lawmakers need to step in.
“As the people with the power to change (laws) in the state of Minnesota, we owe them our attention and our compassion and, most importantly, our willingness to act,” Greenman said, referring to victims of gun violence.
Greenman, whose district covers the Annunciation neighborhood, said DFLers would continue efforts to bring the bills up for a vote.
“We’re going to come back to this Public Safety Committee and make sure that we are continuing to work on this,” said Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee. “It’s not going to be something that today was the last day.”
Earlier in the day, dozens of Annunciation families filled the rotunda for a sing-in. There were some tears, but big smiles and hugs, too. And they read out lawmakers’ names between each song, saying they held them up in hope.
Two desks sat inside the Capitol, meant to memorialize the two children killed at the church: Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski. Photos of them, their backpacks and notebooks sat alongside candles. Outside on the lawn — dozens of other desks were installed in honor of Minnesota children killed by gun violence in the last five years.
“If you needed a graphic reminder of what gun violence does and ripping us apart. That is, that is a pretty moving tribute,” Gov. Tim Walz said earlier in the day, as he stood with gun violence survivors. “It’s also a call to action.”
Walz supported efforts to the gun proposals considered Tuesday as well as a ban on ghost guns — those built through kits or parts rather than purchased fully manufactured firearms. Other bills put forward would require reporting of lost or stolen firearms and bring forward another binary trigger ban.
Lydia Kaiser, an eighth grader at Annunciation, shared her experience surviving gun shot wounds to her head. She urged lawmakers to act.
“Elected officials have a duty to protect us from guns. No one should have to go through what we went through at Annunciation,” Kaiser said.
The bills could resurface yet this session and are expected to see votes in the state Senate.
MPR News reporters Peter Cox and Feven Gerezgiher contributed to this report.
About the Author
Dana Ferguson is a political correspondent for MPR News.
