There’s no shortage of topics for us to discuss - our efforts to make life more affordable for everyday Minnesotans, our bills to hold ICE accountable and prepare our state for the next instance of federal government overreach, and the recent committee hearings on preventing further acts of gun violence in our state. For the first few weeks of the legislative session, if you were to walk around the Capitol grounds, you would’ve seen a couple dozen school desks sitting in the melting snow. These desks represent the over 200 Minnesota school children killed by gun violence since 2021. There were two more desks, these ones in a Capitol hallway, that belonged to 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski. Fletcher and Harper were killed last August in the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School. While we’ve made progress in our state, including Minnesota’s Red Flag Law and additional background checks that I helped pass, more clearly needs to be done to protect Minnesotans from gun violence. In the House Public Safety Committee, students and parents from Annunciation came to advocate for gun safety bills, specifically a ban on semiautomatic military-style assault weapons and large-capacity ammunition magazines. The committee heard from Harper’s mom, Jackie Flavin. I encourage you to listen to her incredibly powerful testimony. |