Minneapolis poised to pass assault weapons ban
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The Minneapolis City Council is expected to ban assault weapons in the city during its Thursday meeting.
The bill is part of an effort by 17 Minnesota cities that pledged to adopt gun violence ordinances following the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School, in which a gunman killed two children and injured 28 others.
The bill approved by the council would ban certain semi-automatic weapons defined in state law that are commonly known as assault weapons. It includes AK- and AR- variants.
The bill would also ban large capacity magazines, binary triggers and ghost guns.
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Cheers erupted during the council’s Tuesday meeting as they unanimously voted to move the bill on to a final vote. Supporters in attendance included Annunciation parents and community members.
“My son is always on alert, scanning for danger,” said Nicole Farrell, whose seventh-grader was attending Mass when a gunman shot through the stained glass windows of the church. “Unexpected noises, as simple as opening a can of crescent rolls for dinner, can send him spiraling.”
A spokesperson said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey supports the bill.
Despite the unanimous support from the city council and Frey, the bill would largely be symbolic. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, Minnesota is one of 42 states that have preemption laws, which prevent city governments from regulating firearms.
The gun safety nonprofit says the laws became commonplace in the 1980s after backlash to an Illinois city’s decision to ban handguns.
Mayors of several Minnesota cities have urged the state to drop its preemption laws. In November, St. Paul passed a similar assault weapons ban that would not take effect until state preemption laws are lifted.
“It’s something that has touched all our wards and all of our constituents,” said Council Member Aurin Chowdhury at the bill hearing Tuesday. “We are just extremely united as a city to do everything we can to reduce the harm of gun violence.”
In a letter sent to Frey and members of the city council on Tuesday, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said it would pursue legal action if the assault weapons ban is adopted.
“This ordinance is facially invalid under state law and represents an unlawful assertion of municipal power,” Rob Doar, general counsel for the group, wrote in the letter.
Earlier this week, Minnesota Senate Democrats voted to pass new restrictions on assault-style weapons and high capacity magazines. The bill’s fate in the House, which is tied 67-67, remains uncertain.
