ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Democratic-Farmer-Labor majority in the Minnesota Senate passed a gun control package Monday that includes a ban on so-called assault weapons and limits on magazine capacities.

Its passage comes after years of debate at the state Capitol and two high-profile tragedies last summer: the August shooting that left two dead at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, and the shootings of two lawmakers and their spouses at their homes in June.

“Today the Senate has a choice to listen to students, to families, to communities across Minnesota, or continue the cycle of inaction,” said bill sponsor state Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, DFL-Minneapolis. “Because honoring the lives we’ve lost means doing something different.”

For the first time, a bill to ban semi-automatic rifles with features like pistol grips and detachable magazines has passed a major floor vote in the state Legislature. But the prospects for any new gun control or school safety package remain as dim as ever in the closely-divided Capitol.

Prospects dim in the House

Republicans in the tied Minnesota House still have little interest in approving new restrictions on firearms, saying the state should instead focus on boosting school security measures and funding for state mental health services.

Mohamed’s bill would ban the sale of what it describes as “semi-automatic military-style assault weapons” and limit magazine capacities to 17 rounds. Owners of weapons affected by the ban would need to register them with the state.

Past that, it includes measures backed by Republicans — $20 million for school safety aid and $14.7 million for mental health services. Mohamed called her bill an “all of the above” approach.

It also would establish a ban on homemade “ghost guns” and on binary triggers, which increase the rate of fire for a semi-automatic weapon by allowing it to be fired when the trigger is both pulled and released. A judge tossed the original 2024 binary trigger ban because it was tucked into a massive bill that covered many subject areas.

DFL Gov. Tim Walz supports the new gun control measures, though he might not sign a ban bill before he leaves office due to political realities at the Legislature.

Debate

During hours of debate Monday, GOP senators advocated for mental health and school safety funding and said the ban could be challenged in court as it violates Second Amendment protections. They painted the debate as an election-year performance, as there was little chance the bill would reach the governor’s desk this year.

“Partisanship in an election year is blocking the progress our kids deserve,” said state Sen. Julia Coleman, a Waconia Republican whose west metro district was the site of a governor’s town hall on gun control late last year. “Let’s stop performing and start protecting. Let’s secure our schools, respect the Constitution and deliver solutions that actually work.”

Until this year, Republicans weren’t the only obstacle to an assault weapons ban. Rural Democrats from northern districts in the state had previously had reservations about supporting the bills in districts with high rates of support for gun rights.

Among them was state Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, whose district covers northwest Minnesota’s sparsely populated and densely wooded Arrowhead region. Hauschild had opposed restrictions on semi-automatic weapons when the DFL controlled state government in 2023. That prevented a bill from clearing the one-seat DFL majority Senate.

“Regret, guilt, shame, remorse. I have 100 words to describe the way that I’ve been feeling since last summer’s shootings,” said Hauschild in a floor speech before Monday’s vote, explaining that he had two young cousins who were at Annunciation during the shooting.

Hauschild said that he felt conflicted as guns were a part of his family life while growing up, whether it was receiving them as birthday presents and taking part in shooting sports. What he described as growing levels of violence eventually led him to change his mind.

“Kids lives are saved when we make the tough political decisions to take a stand and demand that we can do better,” he said. “I’m asking my colleagues across the aisle, if I can do it, then you should too.”

Last major action on guns this session

Despite gaining support from DFLers who had previously been holdouts on a bill that would ban the weapons, the prospects for any new gun control or school safety package remain uncertain in the closely divided state Legislature.

Hauschild’s change of heart on the issue likely won’t result in immediate changes and Monday’s 34-33 vote could be the last major action on gun policy in 2026. Though there is still a chance some provisions related to Republican-supported measures could still pass in the Senate, DFLers hinted.

State Sen. Ron Latz, a St. Louis Park Democrat who co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, DFL-Minneapolis, called the moment “historic” and urged Republican lawmakers in the tied House to join the DFL in moving the package to final passage while pointing ahead to the November election.

“If they do, we can really make some significant progress. If they don’t, we know where people stand, and that’s also important,” he said. “It’s an election year. Voters are making decisions based on the information that they have, and they have got more information now than they had a few hours ago.”

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