State patrol details impact of new weapons screening protocols at Minnesota Capitol

To date, 121,598 people have passed through the weapons screening to enter the Capitol during the 2026 legislative session.

Capitol Security has turned away 52 weapons, the majority of which have been knives, but they have included other prohibited items like camping marshmallow skewers and screwdrivers.

Those 52 weapons don’t include any firearms, and Capitol Security has verified 548 permits to carry, State Patrol Col. Christina Bogojevic told the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security Monday.

“This time last year, Minnesota was an outlier when it came to Capitol security. We are no longer an outlier and made great progress by implementing weapon screening this session,” said Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who chairs the committee.

“The people who have conducted screening and set up the implementation have been phenomenal,” Bogojevic said.

The “vast majority” of State Capitol visitors have entered through the south entrance to the building, she said, with the longest wait times being 15-17 minutes.

The biggest issue with the new security has been the wait on checking permits to carry, which comes down to staffing at each entrance.

Enhanced security measures were authorized by an executive order issued by Gov. Tim Walz on Jan. 26, which directed the public safety department to “put in place the equipment and trained personnel necessary to implement weapons screening to ensure that unlawful dangerous items are not introduced into the Minnesota State Capitol.”

The measures come from committee recommendations outlined in its January 2026 annual report.