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Tag: Gun Laws

  • Jeanine Pirro’s comments on Washington gun laws, explained

    U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro caused a stir among Second Amendment supporters when she talked about a gun crackdown during a Fox News appearance. 

    Referring to the city’s recent decline in homicides, Pirro said: 

    “You bring a gun into the district, you mark my words, you’re going to jail. I don’t care if you have a license in another district and I don’t care if you’re a law-abiding gun owner somewhere else. You bring a gun into this district, count on going to jail and hope you get the gun back.”

    U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., said Feb. 2 that he has a license to carry a firearm in Florida and Washington, D.C., and brings “a gun into the district every week.” The National Association for Gun Rights criticized Pirro for “threatening to arrest people for carrying in DC, even if they are law-abiding and licensed.”  

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote Feb. 3, “Second Amendment rights are not extinguished just because an American visits DC.” 

    Pirro sought to clarify her position in follow-up social media posts Feb. 3, describing herself as a “proud supporter of the Second Amendment.” Washington, D.C., law requires handguns carried into the city be licensed with district police, she said.

    “We are focused on individuals who are unlawfully carrying guns and will continue building on that momentum to keep our communities safe,” Pirro said. 

    Pirro’s Feb. 2 comments oversimplified the district’s gun laws. People can legally possess firearms by registering their weapons in the district, and obtaining a Washington, D.C., concealed carry permit would allow them to legally carry it outside their homes and places of business. The district does not recognize other states’ firearm registrations, but people can lawfully transport firearms through the district if they follow certain rules.

    What are Washington, D.C.’s firearm registration requirements? 

    Washington, D.C., has historically had strict gun regulations. The district had essentially banned handguns for about 30 years until 2008, when a Supreme Court decision overturned the rule. 

    Registering firearms with the Metropolitan Police Department is required to legally possess a gun in the district, which allows most people to register rifles, shotguns, revolvers and handguns.

    Firearm registration is required for most gun owners, including district residents, business owners and both residents and nonresidents with concealed carry licenses. 

    The Metropolitan Police Department says people are eligible to register firearms if they meet certain requirements, including: 

    • Being 21 or older (or 18 or older with a notarized statement from a guardian);

    • Completing the department’s free firearms training and safety class; 

    • Having no convictions for certain weapons offenses;

    • Having no felony convictions;

    • And having no indictments for weapons offenses or violent crimes.

    Government-issued service weapons do not have to be registered. Some people, including qualified current and retired law enforcement officers and on-duty active military members, are not required to register their firearms.

    Firearm registration allows a person “to possess, but not carry, the gun,” said Andrew Willinger, a Georgia State University law professor and gun regulation expert. 

    Some weapons are ineligible to be registered, including: sawed-off shotguns, machine guns, short-barreled rifles, .50 caliber BMG rifles and assault weapons. 

    What are the district’s open carry and concealed carry laws? 

    Openly carrying firearms is generally prohibited; people with valid firearm registrations can carry their firearms in their homes or places of business. They also can use their firearms for lawful recreational purposes — such as at firearms training, safety classes or at a gun range — and transport them within legal limits. 

    People age 21 and older who are eligible to register firearms and meet additional requirements can get a Washington D.C. concealed carry license if they complete required training. 

    Neither residents nor nonresidents are allowed to carry concealed guns in the district without this license. 

    There are some exceptions, including for  qualified current and retired law enforcement officers.

    Licensees cannot carry firearms in schools, hospitals, polling places, public transportation, government buildings and other specific locations.

    In August 2025, Pirro’s office announced it would stop pursuing felony charges for carrying rifles or shotguns.

    Can nonresidents get a concealed carry license in Washington, D.C.?

    Yes, nonresidents can obtain concealed carry licenses — and they need licenses to legally carry their firearms. 

    “If a nonresident brings a gun into D.C. and does not have a D.C. permit, that is unlawful regardless of whether the gunowner is licensed in his or her state of residence or law-abiding,” Willinger said in an email. 

    Can nonresidents bring their firearms in or through the district?

    Yes, under certain conditions.

    Under federal law, it is generally legal for people to transport guns from one state where they can be lawfully possessed to another state where they can be lawfully possessed. People do not have to comply with gun laws in each state they pass through, as long as the firearm is not loaded or readily accessible, Willinger said. 

    In the district, nonresidents without a Washington, D.C., concealed carry license can bring firearms in vehicles as long as they are unloaded and as long as the firearms and ammunition are not readily accessible. If transporting firearms in ways other than in vehicles, they must be unloaded and stored in locked containers. 

    If a nonresident travels through the district with a firearm that isn’t registered in Washington, D.C., they should go straight to and from their destination.

    Nonresidents traveling to or from a lawful recreational firearm-related activity don’t need to register their firearm, so long as they can present proof that they legally possess their firearm in their home state and that they are on the way to or from that activity.

    RELATED: Trump said Washington, DC, ‘always’ has ‘a murder a week.’ That’s wrong

    RELATED: How does Washington, D.C.’s homicide rate compare with other countries? 

    RELATED: Crime is underreported, but not just in Washington, D.C., where Trump claims data is inaccurate ​

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  • Judge panel rules California’s open carry ban unconstitutional

    A dissenting panel of federal judges for the Ninth Circuit on Friday deemed California’s open carry ban in most counties unconstitutional.The ruling comes following a challenge by Mark Baird, who the San Francisco Chronicle identifies as a gun owner from Siskiyou County. Baird specifically challenged California’s restriction on open carry in counties with a population greater than 200,000.(Video Above: California ammunition background check law is unconstitutional)The panel ruled 2-1 in Baird’s favor. In favor of Baird, Judge Lawrence VanDyke noted that the restrictions apply to roughly 95% of the state’s population. And for those counties with populations under 200,000, the judge notes that those wanting to open carry need to apply for a license allowing them to do so, but that the ability to secure the license is “unclear.””California admits that it has no record of even one open-carry license being issued, and one potential reason is that California has misled its citizens about how to apply for an open-carry license,” the ruling’s summary states, referring to the opinions of VanDyke and Judge Kenneth K. Lee. The panel held that the open carry ban was inconsistent with the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms as applied to states under the Fourteenth Amendment. It also referred to the standard applied in 2022’s New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which established that “historical record makes unmistakably plain that open carry is part of this Nation’s history and tradition.”Judge N. Randy Smith, who dissented in part, noted that “open carry is not conduct that is covered by the plain text of the Second Amendment.” Smith also noted that reasoning in the Bruen case allows California to lawfully eliminate one manner of public carry to protect citizens, “so long as its citizens may carry weapons in another manner that allows for self-defense.”Smith asserted that because California allows concealed carry, it may restrict open carry.While the court primarily sided with Baird, it also rejected his related challenge to California’s licensing requirements in counties with fewer than 200,000 residents. Those counties may issue open-carry permits.See the full ruling here. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office slammed the ruling on social media Friday. “California just got military troops with weapons of war off of the streets of our cities, but now Republican activists on the Ninth Circuit want to replace them with gunslingers and return to the days of the Wild West. California’s law was carefully crafted to comply with the Second Amendment and we’re confident this decision will not stand,” the Newsom’s office said.KCRA 3 has reached out to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Office for comment.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    A dissenting panel of federal judges for the Ninth Circuit on Friday deemed California’s open carry ban in most counties unconstitutional.

    The ruling comes following a challenge by Mark Baird, who the San Francisco Chronicle identifies as a gun owner from Siskiyou County. Baird specifically challenged California’s restriction on open carry in counties with a population greater than 200,000.

    (Video Above: California ammunition background check law is unconstitutional)

    The panel ruled 2-1 in Baird’s favor.

    In favor of Baird, Judge Lawrence VanDyke noted that the restrictions apply to roughly 95% of the state’s population. And for those counties with populations under 200,000, the judge notes that those wanting to open carry need to apply for a license allowing them to do so, but that the ability to secure the license is “unclear.”

    “California admits that it has no record of even one open-carry license being issued, and one potential reason is that California has misled its citizens about how to apply for an open-carry license,” the ruling’s summary states, referring to the opinions of VanDyke and Judge Kenneth K. Lee.

    The panel held that the open carry ban was inconsistent with the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms as applied to states under the Fourteenth Amendment. It also referred to the standard applied in 2022’s New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which established that “historical record makes unmistakably plain that open carry is part of this Nation’s history and tradition.”

    Judge N. Randy Smith, who dissented in part, noted that “open carry is not conduct that is covered by the plain text of the Second Amendment.” Smith also noted that reasoning in the Bruen case allows California to lawfully eliminate one manner of public carry to protect citizens, “so long as its citizens may carry weapons in another manner that allows for self-defense.”

    Smith asserted that because California allows concealed carry, it may restrict open carry.

    While the court primarily sided with Baird, it also rejected his related challenge to California’s licensing requirements in counties with fewer than 200,000 residents. Those counties may issue open-carry permits.

    See the full ruling here.

    Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office slammed the ruling on social media Friday.

    “California just got military troops with weapons of war off of the streets of our cities, but now Republican activists on the Ninth Circuit want to replace them with gunslingers and return to the days of the Wild West. California’s law was carefully crafted to comply with the Second Amendment and we’re confident this decision will not stand,” the Newsom’s office said.

    KCRA 3 has reached out to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Office for comment.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • Everytown for Gun Safety stirs controversy with move into firearms training classes

    When the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety announced it would be introducing a robust new array of classes to help people safely buy, use and store firearms, the decision caught some longtime supporters off guard.

    “They need to remember who it was that was there to help them get where they are,” said Colorado state Sen. Tom Sullivan, who began supporting the group after losing his son Alex in the 2012 Aurora mass shooting. “It’s people who are out there who are visiting cemeteries and going to church services.”

    Though it may have surprised some, officials at Everytown for Gun Safety told CBS News their decision to enhance efforts to train gun users was wholly consistent with its mission. 

    The organization was galvanized more than a decade ago by the horrors of the Sandy Hook school shooting to begin lobbying for stronger background checks, an assault weapons ban and other measures aimed at reducing gun violence. Greg Lickenbrock, a firearms expert who helped design the group’s new gun training initiatives, said his goal is to expand the group’s reach.

    “I’m a responsible gun owner who believes in common-sense gun laws. Everything we do at Everytown is about safety and responsibility,” Lickenbrock said. “We’re not abandoning anything.”

    Everytown is marketing the new programming under the name TrainSMART, and plans to offers a variety of courses online where students can choose either on-demand or live Zoom-style instruction. The courses cover a wide range of topics including how to buy a gun, gun ownership, gun safety and marksmanship. The group hopes to offer in-person classes as soon as early next year. 

    “For Everytown to move into the business of working with gun owners and meeting gun owners where they are — that is a crucial step in promoting gun safety,” said Chris Marvin, a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot and fourth generation Army combat veteran who helped design the program. 

    Marvin said the course relies on the same principles he learned during his time with the military: training, safety and accountability. 

    “If it works for the military, if it works for the nation’s profession of arms, it should be the best way to approach civilian gun training as well,” he told CBS News. 

    Marvin says that includes learning about the components of your firearm and proper storage practices for locking it up. 

    In anticipation for its move into in-person instruction, the group has been hosting events at various gun ranges across the country to train and evaluate potential future instructors. 

    Still, not all survivors and families of victims have bought into the new approach. 

    Sullivan believes that with gun violence still rampant in the U.S., groups like Everytown need to focus on their original mission. 

    “I hope that we’re still reading from the same book, but maybe … they’re a couple chapters ahead of me,” Sullivan said. 

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  • The Trump administration is suing the District of Columbia over its gun laws – WTOP News

    The Trump administration is suing the local government of Washington, D.C., over its gun laws, alleging that restrictions on certain semiautomatic weapons run afoul of Second Amendment rights

    FILE – The U.S. Department of Justice building in Washington, Dec. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)(AP/Jose Luis Magana)

    The Trump administration is suing the local government of Washington, D.C., over its gun laws, alleging that restrictions on certain semiautomatic weapons run afoul of Second Amendment rights.

    The U.S. Department of Justice filed its lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia, naming Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department and outgoing Chief of Police Pamela Smith as defendants and setting up another potentially seismic clash on how broadly the courts interpret individual gun possession rights.

    “The United States of America brings this lawsuit to protect the rights that have been guaranteed for 234 years and which the Supreme Court has explicitly reaffirmed several times over the last two decades,” the Justice Department states.

    It’s the second such lawsuit the administration has filed this month: The Justice Department also is suing the U.S. Virgin Islands, alleging the U.S. territory is obstructing and systematically denying American citizens the right to possess and carry guns.

    It’s also the latest clash between the District of Columbia and the federal government, which launched an ongoing law enforcement intervention into the nation’s capital over the summer, which was meant to fight crime. The district’s attorney general is challenging the deployment of the National Guard to the city as part of the intervention in court.

    In Washington, Metropolitan Police Department spokesman Sean Hickman said the agency does not comment on pending litigation.

    The Justice Department asserts that the District is imposing unconstitutional bans on AR-15s and other semiautomatic weapons the administration says are legal to posses under the Supreme Court’s 2008 Heller precedent, which also originated from a dispute over weapons restrictions in the nation’s capital.

    In that seminal case, the court ruled that private citizens have an individual right to own and operate weapons “in common use today,” regardless of whether they are part of what Second Amendment text refers to as a “well regulated militia.”

    “There seems to us no doubt, on the basis of both text and history, that the Second Amendment conferred an individual right to keep and bear arms,” the majority reasoned. The justices added a caveat: “Of course, the right was not unlimited, just as the First Amendment’s right of free speech was not.”

    The Justice Department argues that the District has gone too far in trying to limit weapons possession under that caveat. Administration lawyers emphasize the Heller reference to weapons “in common use today,” saying it applies to firearms that District of Columbia residents cannot now register. Those restrictions in turn subject residents to criminal penalties for unregistered firearms, the administration asserts.

    “Specifically, the District denies law-abiding citizens the ability to register a wide variety of commonly used semi-automatic firearms, such as the Colt AR-15 series rifles, which is among the most popular of firearms in America, and a variety of other semi-automatic rifles and pistols that are in common use,” Justice Department lawyers write.

    “D.C’s current semi-automatic firearms prohibition that bans many commonly used pistols, rifles or shotguns is based on little more than cosmetics, appearance, or the ability to attach accessories,” the suit continues, “and fails to take into account whether the prohibited weapon is ‘in common use today’ or that law-abiding citizens may use these weapons for lawful purposes protected by the Second Amendment.”

    The Justice Department does not include any individual plaintiffs from Washington, D.C., alleging any violations of their constitutional rights. That’s different from the Heller case, which is named for Dick Heller, a Washingtonian who filed a civil lawsuit challenging the city’s handgun ban in 2003.

    The administration argues in the suit that it has jurisdiction to challenge current District laws under the sweeping federal crime law of 1994.

    Copyright
    © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

    WTOP Staff

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  • Australia announces gun buyback plans less than a week after Bondi Beach shooting

    Sydney — Australia will use a sweeping buyback scheme to “get guns off our streets,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday, showing his government was keen to take quick action less than a week after a terrorist attack left 15 people dead at a Jewish holiday gathering on Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach.

    Sajid Akram and his son Naveed are accused of opening fire on the festival, which was organized to mark the first day of Hanukkah on Sunday, in what was one of Australia’s deadliest mass shootings.

    Just hours after the attack, Albanese vowed to toughen national gun laws that allowed 50-year-old Sajid to own six high-powered rifles.

    “There is no reason someone living in the suburbs of Sydney needed this many guns,” he said.

    Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett are seen on Dec. 19, 2025, in Canberra, Australia, during a news conference in the wake of the Bondi Beach terrorist attack.

    Hilary Wardhaugh/Getty


    Australia would pay gun owners to surrender “surplus, newly banned and illegal firearms.”

    Albanese said Monday that his government was “prepared to take whatever action is necessary. Included in that is the need for tougher gun laws.” He specifically suggested measures that could limit the number of guns a licensed owner can obtain, and mandating a review process for existing licenses.

    The prime minister said the federal government would evenly split the cost of the buyback program with Australia’s state and territorial administrations, with further details to be worked out when lawmakers return to work next week.

    Investigation continues as Sydney remains on high alert

    Sajid Akram, 50, was killed in a gunfight with police, but his 24-year-old son Naveed survived. The unemployed bricklayer was charged earlier this week with 15 counts of murder, an act of terrorism, and dozens of other serious crimes after waking up from a coma in a Sydney hospital.

    Albanese said the attack was inspired by ISIS ideology, and Australian police are still investigating whether the pair may have met with Islamist extremists during a visit to the Philippines just a couple weeks before the shooting.

    They spent most of November in the south of the Asian nation, in a hotel in Davao City. A hotel employee told CBS News on Thursday that the father and son extended their stay week by week and paid in cash, and that they would go out during the day but return to the hotel every night, often bringing food back to eat in their room.

    He said staff noticed nothing particularly suspicious about the men during their nearly monthlong stay.

    Scenes From Davao Where Bondi Shooting Suspects Travelled In November

    A view of the GV Hotel, where Sajid and Naveed Akram, suspects in the Bondi Beach terror attack, stayed in November, as seen on Dec. 18, 2025, in Davao City, in the southern Philippines.

    Ezra Acayan/Getty


    Sydney, meanwhile, remains on high alert almost a week after the shootings.

    Armed police released seven men from custody on Friday, a day after detaining them on a tip they may have been plotting a “violent act,” as they reportedly headed for Bondi Beach.

    Police said there was no established link with the alleged Bondi gunmen and “no immediate safety risk to the community.”

    A second major Australian gun buyback spurred by a mass shooting

    The new buyback, assuming it is approved by lawmakers next week, will be the largest such government-funded program since 1996, when then-Prime Minister John Howard cracked down on firearms in the wake of another mass shooting, in which 35 people were killed in the town of Port Arthur.

    Just 12 days after that attack, Australian lawmakers approved legislation banning the sale and importation of all automatic and semi-automatic rifles and shotguns; forcing people to present a legitimate reason, and wait 28 days, to buy any firearm, and initiating the massive, mandatory gun-buyback for banned weapons.

    The government confiscated and destroyed nearly 700,000 firearms in the wake of the law’s adoption, reducing the number of gun-owning households by half.

    “It is incontestable that gun-related homicides have fallen quite significantly in Australia,” former premier Howard, who defied many in his own conservative party to usher in the 1996 law, told CBS News’ Seth Doane two decades later, in 2016.

    australia-gun-buyback-getty-158581520.jpg

    A Sept. 8, 1996 file photo shows Norm Legg, a project supervisor with a local security firm, holding an ArmaLite rifle similar to the one used in the Port Arthur mass shooting, which was handed in for scrap in Melbourne as part of a mandatory government gun buyback program after the attack.

    WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty


    In the 15 years before those laws were passed, there were 13 mass shootings in Australia. In the two decades after, there wasn’t a single one. Gun homicides overall decreased by nearly 60% in the same period.

    Asked to respond to critics who said the fall in gun deaths did not necessarily happen because of the legislation, Howard told CBS News: “The number of deaths from mass shootings, gun-related homicide has fallen, gun related suicide has fallen … Isn’t that evidence? Or are we expected to believe that that was all magically going to happen? Come on!”

    A study published earlier this year, however, found Australia still has some way to go to fully implement the 2016 legislation, called the National Firearms Agreement. The paper, by the Australia Institute think tank, said some of the measures had yet to be brought into force 29 years later, and others were being inconsistently enforced across different states.

    The law “was ambitious, politically brave, and necessary for public safety,” the report concluded, lauding Howard’s will to defy his fellow lawmakers.

    But “Australia still allows minors to hold firearm licenses, still lacks a National Firearms Register, and still has inconsistent laws that make enforcement difficult,” the group said, adding that overall gun ownership across the country had actually boomed over the last three decades.

    “There are now over four million registered privately owned guns in Australia: 800,000 more than before the (1996) buyback,” the institute said in its May report. “Australians needs gun laws that live up to the Howard Government’s bravery, and right now Australia does not have them.”

    Albanese, along with state and territorial leaders, agreed on Monday to look at ways to bolster gun laws, including by accelerating the launch of the national firearms register called for in the 1996 legislation, making gun licenses available only to Australian citizens, and imposing new restrictions the types of weapons that are legal for licensees to own.

    A memorial at sea, and a day of reflection planned for Bondi Beach victims

    Hundreds of people plunged into the ocean at Bondi Beach on Friday to honor the 15 people killed in the terror attack, forming a massive ring in the sea on surf and paddle boards, as Albanese announced a national day of reflection to be observed on Sunday.

    Albanese urged Australians to light candles at 6:47 p.m. on Sunday, “exactly one week since the attack unfolded.”

    Australia Shooting Beachgoers

    Surfers and swimmers paddle out into the ocean to hold a tribute for the victims of the terror attack at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 19, 2025.

    Steve Markham/AP


    On Friday, swimmers and surfers paddled into a circle, bobbing in the gentle morning swell, splashing water and roaring with emotion.

    “They slaughtered innocent victims, and today I’m swimming out there and being part of my community again to bring back the light,” security consultant Jason Carr, 53, told AFP. “We’re still burying bodies. But I just felt it was important.”

    Carole Schlessinger, a 58-year-old chief executive of a children’s charity, said there was a “beautiful energy” at the ocean gathering. “To be together is such an important way of trying to deal with what’s going on.”

    “It was really lovely to be part of it,” she said, adding: “I personally am feeling very numb. I’m feeling super angry. I’m feeling furious.”

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  • St. Paul becomes first city in coalition to pass gun violence prevention ordinance


    St. Paul, Minnesota has adopted a comprehensive gun violence prevention ordinance on Wednesday. The ordinance bans assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. It was passed unanimously by the City Council. 

    The ordinance will not take effect until the state preemption law is lifted.   

    The passing of the ordinance comes after state lawmakers and city leaders called for stricter gun control laws in the wake of the Annunciation Catholic School shooting. 

    St. Paul is the first Minnesota city, in a coalition of 17, to adopt a gun prevention ordinance. Minneapolis, Golden Valley, Minnetonka, Richfield, Rochester and several others are hoping to adopt a similar measure.

    In late October, the St. Paul City Council introduced the ordinance and residents shared their thoughts last week. 

    Currently, a state preemption law does not allow for individual cities to make their own ordinances over gun mandates. 

    “Saint Paul stands ready to act on day one when the state lifts preemption,” said Mayor Melvin Carter. “This ordinance represents a collective effort by local leaders taking a long-overdue step to protect our children, families, and neighbors.”

    The ordinance does establish five provisions: 

    • Banning the possession of assault weapons, large-capacity magazines and binary triggers within city limits
    • Prohibit “ghost guns,” by requiring serial numbers on all firearms
    • Restricting firearms in certain public places such as parks, libraries, recreation centers and city buildings
    • Require clear signage in public facilities 
    • Define enforcement authority and penalties

    The ordinance does exclude active-duty law enforcement and military personnel.  

    The above video originally aired on Nov. 5, 2025

    Chloe Rosen

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  • St. Paul city council hears residents’ thoughts on city ordinance aimed at restricting guns

    The Saint Paul, Minnesota city council turned the mic over to residents on Wednesday, with over a dozen people sharing their thoughts on a city ordinance aimed at restricting guns. 

    “This is common sense gun legislation,” said city council president and ward two council member Rebecca Noecker. “we’re trying to do what we know the majority of saint Paul residents.”  

    Noeker is one of the ordinance’s sponsors and wednesday marked it’s second time before the council. The proposed ordinance would ban public possession of assault weapons, large capacity magazines and binary triggers. It would require all guns to have serial numbers and restrict firearms in some public spaces like parks and libraries, require public facilities to inform residents of the new restrictions and define enforcement style and penalties. 

    There would be exceptions for active-duty law enforcement and military personnel, as well as licensed federal firearms curators and those transporting guns through the city.

    The main hurdle, however, is Minnesota’s preemption law, which blocks cities from creating their own gun ordinances. 

    Noeker acknowledged the preemption law saying the city council sees this as a way to put pressure on state lawmakers. 

    “Its’ really important for two reasons one, to show what the city councils values are what the city of Saint Paul believes is acceptable and unacceptable,” Noeker said. “It’s also important to pressure the legislature to take that action.”

    Rob Doar from the minnesota gun owners caucus says they plan to file a lawsuit, citing state statute 471.633, which reads, ‘Local regulation inconsistent with this section is void.’

    “There’s a lot of things the city can do in order to try to mobilize action,” Doar said at the meeting Wednesday. “The one thing you can’t do is pass an ordinance that violates state law.” 

    Noeker says the city is ready for that legal challenge and believes council is within their rights to pass it. 

    “I feel very strongly that we have unanimous support for this ordinance,” she said.

    Noeker says there’s still time for residents to share their perspective on the ordinance before council members vote on the matter next week.

    Ashley Grams

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  • Gov. Walz, DFL Leaders hold first in series of gun violence town halls around Minnesota

    Governor Walz and DFL leaders say they’re hitting the road and plan to make stops around the state to talk with Minnesotans about gun violence.

    Meanwhile, negotiations in St. Paul have stalled and legislative leaders in a politically divided Capitol are at a stand still when it comes to addressing gun violence at a special session. 

    DFL leaders made their first stop in Waconia on Saturday afternoon. Hundreds of attendees filled the high school auditorium to hear more from Governor Walz and Gabby Giffords, a gun violence survivor and former congresswoman.

    Though, the crowd first heard Tess Rada, the parent of a third grader who attends Annunciation Catholic School. Some Annunciation parents and families filled a section of seats near the stage, sporting Annunciation t-shirts. 

    “If your child was one of the lucky ones who survived, imagine finding them that day shaking crying covered in blood,” said Rada, recalling the day that 30 people were injured and two children were murdered in the August 27th shooting at Annunciation in Minneapolis.

    “I understand that guns are a part of American life and the right to own them is constituently protected but the cost of these particular weapons is simply too high.” 

    Governor Tim Walz then took the stage, answering a handful of pre-selected questions, alongside a physician, educator and Giffords. 

    While he’s advocated for a ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in the past, and vowed to call a special session, the governor acknowledges progress in that area has slowed and turned his attention to another route. 

    “I will tell all of you, well, put it on the ballot and you can vote for a constitutional amendment on this. Then let the people vote,” said Governor Walz on Saturday. 

    In the case of a constitutional amendment, Walz would still face a divided legislature as that kind of proposal must pass both chambers before it would make it to the ballot for voters to decide. 

    “I think it is important that we look at every option available to us and any of those whether it is a constitutional amendment, or a comprehensive agenda will have to go through the legislature,” Sen. Erin Murphy, DFL Senate majority leader, told reporters after the event. 

    Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth says some democrats aren’t committed to the effort Walz is pushing. 

    “Since the governor couldn’t even get his own members on board with a special session on banning guns, it appears he’s moved on to holding campaign rallies hosted by the DFL that aren’t truly open to the public,” Demuth said in a statement. 

    The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus called this event “political theater” adding, “[the governor’s] agenda is too extreme for even his own party”. 

    The DFL plan to hold similar events across the state. The next is scheduled in Rochester on November 6th. 

    Ashley Grams

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  • Publix to allow open carry in Florida stores, prompting mixed reactions from shoppers

    Shoppers are split after supermarket chain Publix announced it will now allow customers to openly carry firearms inside its Florida stores.

    The decision comes about two weeks after an appeals court ruling overturned the state’s ban on open carry. 

    Under the law, businesses and private property owners can choose whether to allow or ban open carry on their premises.

    They say it’s “where shopping is a pleasure,” but now, customers may see fellow shoppers walking the aisles with a pistol on their hip at their neighborhood Publix.

    Some Publix customers support the move, others express safety concerns

    “I believe it can cause unnecessary stress and drama,” Publix customer Scott Gonzalez said. “It needs to stop being political and it needs to be more about the safety of our community.”

    Some shoppers say the change gives them a sense of awareness and control.

    “I feel like if you’re going to carry a gun, I’d rather know that it’s on your person than be caught off guard and have it brought out without me even being aware,” customer Erica McKeon told CBS News Miami. “At least I can walk away from the person if I see a gun and I’m not comfortable.”

    Others worry the sight of firearms in stores could cause anxiety.

    “As someone that has a concealed carry permit, I’m not that against open carry,” customer Dominic Carissimi said. “But in terms of other people that aren’t used to being around guns and things like that, it can cause unnecessary, like, I guess, stress and anxiety.”

    McKeon added, “I support our governor and I believe that if he’s allowing this that he has our best interests in mind.”

    Publix cites compliance with Florida law and respect for customers

    A Publix spokesperson released a statement, saying in part:

    “Publix follows all federal, state and local laws. Treating customers with dignity and respect is a founding belief at Publix. In any instance where a customer creates a threatening, erratic, or dangerous shopping experience—whether they are openly carrying a firearm or not—we will engage local law enforcement to protect our customers and associates.”

    Publix runs stores in eight states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

    The grocery chain has more than 1,421 supermarket locations in those states, and over 900 location in Florida.

    Open carry laws in other states where Publix operates 

    Several of the states where Publix operates already allowed some form of open carry, even before Florida’s recent policy change. 

    In Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, gun owners can generally carry firearms openly without a permit, though each state has its own set of restrictions.

    Alabama, Georgia and Kentucky all have so-called “permitless carry” laws, which allow most adults legally allowed to possess a firearm to carry it openly or concealed. 

    North Carolina and Tennessee also permit open carry, while South Carolina’s legislature recently joined that group by passing a law allowing people to carry handguns openly without a permit.

    Virginia also allows open carry, though its rules are more restrictive than most of its southern neighbors. Local governments there can prohibit firearms in certain public areas, and restrictions apply to specific types of guns, including semi-automatic weapons in some localities. 

    In all, that means nearly every state on Publix’s operating map already permitted open carry in some form. 

    It is unclear if the grocery chain allows open carry in its stores in other states beside Florida. In 2019, Publix’s publicly stated that it “respectfully requests that only law enforcement officials openly carry firearms in our stores,” even in states where open carry is legally allowed. 

    Winn-Dixie takes a different stance on Florida open carry

    While Publix is allowing open carry, competitors like Winn-Dixie say they will not permit customers to openly carry firearms inside their stores.

    Anna McAllister

    Anna McAllister joined the CBS 4 team as a reporter in December 2022 and is ecstatic to be back in South Florida.

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  • Medicaid fraud allegations spread in Minnesota as debate over special session on gun laws continues

    Medicaid fraud allegations continue to spread in St Paul, Minnesota, as debate over a possible special session on gun control continues.

    New fraud cases in state Medicaid programs are continuing to pop up. Just last week, the state announced they were halting payments to 11 disability programs and 17 providers because of suspected fraud in a program to help adults with disabilities.

    That is on top of one indictment last week for fraud in an autism program and two weeks ago, there were eight indictments for fraud in a housing program. That’s all in addition to the $280 million Feeding Our Future case.

    Gov. Tim Walz says he has done everything he can to expose fraud and even lost a court battle over an attempted shutdown of a program. But Republicans say the fraud is all happening on the governor’s watch and he is to blame. 

    “My intent is that we have got to stop this from the beginning, we need to look at the internal controls and safeguards,” Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said.

    Another charged issue is whether there should be a special session of the legislature on gun violence. A recent KSTP/Survey USA poll says 53% of those surveyed support a ban on assault style weapons, 35% say no and 12% are not sure. 

    The governor and DFL leaders are pushing for a special session with a floor vote on banning assault style weapons and high-capacity magazines. Republicans say that is a nonstarter, that the solution for gun violence is to put more money and resources into mental health. 

    “What we have to look at, though, is motivating people who want to hurt others, that is what I want to address,” Demuth said.

    Demuth is on a lot of Republicans’ short lists on who they would like to see run for Minnesota governor or U.S. Senate. Demuth says a run for the U.S. Senate is out, but she has not yet ruled out a run for governor.
     
    “Although I am not completely ruling it out, I am not telling you, ‘Oh no,’ but I am definitely not telling you, ‘Oh yes.’” Demuth said.

    You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Adam Del Rosso every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

    Esme Murphy

    Esme Murphy, a reporter and Sunday morning anchor for WCCO-TV, has been a member of the WCCO-TV staff since December 1990. She is also a weekend talk show host on WCCO Radio. Born and raised in New York City, Esme ventured into reporting after graduating from Harvard University.

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  • Gov. Tim Walz, legislative leaders still negotiating special session terms, 1 month after Annunciation shooting

    One month after the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church that forever changed their community, students are back in the classroom. But state lawmakers are still at odds about what to do in response. 

    Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders met again Thursday to discuss a special session, the latest in a series of meetings in recent weeks in an effort to find an agreement before Walz officially calls the Legislature back to St. Paul to meet, which he vowed to do in the wake of the tragedy. 

    “We’ve had several meetings where we’ve had a chance to exchange our views and talk about how we want to proceed,” said Rep. Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids, new leader of the House Democrats. “But we’re getting to the point where the rubber needs to meet the road.”

    For Democrats, one of the solutions is clear: ban assault style weapons and high-capacity magazines. It’s also the step that some Annunciation families implored lawmakers to take at a hearing earlier this month. 

    Cutting across party lines is essential for anything to pass out of the state Capitol. The House is tied and neither party in the Senate currently has 34 votes — a majority in the chamber at full strength and threshold to pass legislation — due to some vacancies, including the seat once held by DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell, who resigned this summer after a burglary conviction.

    GOP lawmakers released their list of proposals, which includes more funding for mental health support and grants for school security, among other measures. They have not pitched any gun-related bills and none have indicated that they would join Democrats to support them.

    “We have to have bipartisan support to move any bill through the process of committee and to the floor. And right now in the Legislature overall, what I understand is there are not the votes that would support a ban on guns,” said House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring. 

    Some DFL lawmakers in recent years rejected some bills aimed at boosting safety, like requirements to secure guns and mandatory reporting of lost or stolen firearms. An assault weapons ban hasn’t received a legislative hearing in that time, even when Democrats controlled both chambers during the 2023 and 2024 sessions. 

    “The open question is: are House Republicans, are Senate Republicans, willing to meet the moment and take strong action on guns, or are they not?” Stephenson said. 

    The power to call a special session rests solely with the governor, so he could call it at any time. But typically, the governor works with legislative leaders to set parameters on what that looks like before it happens. 

    Walz told reporters after the latest meeting Thursday he is still committed to a compromise and to calling lawmakers back to St. Paul, though he did not say when that would be. The 2026 regular session will begin in mid-February. 

    “My goal is to get something done and pass it, not just the optics of coming back—you don’t come back to a special session and let it melt down into anything,” Walz said. 

    Caroline Cummings

    Caroline Cummings is an Emmy-winning reporter with a passion for covering politics, public policy and government. She is thrilled to join the WCCO team.

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  • Three Annunciation Catholic School​ moms demand action during town hall

    Three women stood together on stage at a town hall in Plymouth, Minnesota on Sunday, bound together by the tragedy their children experienced inside Annunciation Catholic School on August 27. 

    “I don’t want any other parent or family to feel this misery,” said Malia Kimbrell.

    Kimbrell’s 9-year-old daughter Vivian was rushed to the hospital after over 100 bullets shattered the windows of Annunciation Catholic School. Vivian was shot multiple times. Now, Vivian is recovering at home and Kimbrell is advocating for a ban on assault weapons.

    “It’s more mental health resources and safer gun storage and better background checks and detecting potential threats online and improved security measures and banning assault weapons,” Kimbrell said Sunday. “If the next mass shooting happens at your child’s school, what type of weapon are you comfortable with the shooter being armed with?”

    The group was brought together by Democratic Rep. Kelly Morrison as a town hall focused on gun violence prevention, for members of Minnesota’s third district. 

    “By taking action, that’s how we honor Harper, Fletcher and all the lives taken by gun violence,” said Carla Maldonado. 

    Maldonado has two children at Annunciation and described the panic she felt after she and her husband heard the gunshots that morning from their home nearby.

    “We cannot accept a world where civilians have access to weapons designed for battlefields,” Maldonado said. 

    Stephanie Moscetti, a mother of two, also shared her fear that day. Saying her children are changed, espeically her son who was friends with Fletcher Merkel, an 8-year-old boy who was killed in the attack. 

    “My son was an honorary pallbearer at his friends funeral, how is this our reality?” Moscetti questioned. “Our kids deserve safe schools, they deserve safe childhoods where they can play and learn.”

    About a week ago, a Minnesota Senate work group focused on addressing gun violence met for the first time, listening to pleas from some of these same parents. 

    Gov. Tim Walz has vowed to call a special session to address the issue, though a date has not been set.

    If a bill is presented, the legislation would need the support of both democrats and republicans. 

    House Republicans previously released their list of policies to consider in a special session, which included school security grants, more funding for mental health beds and mandatory minimum prison sentences for repeat gun offenders.

    Ashley Grams

    Reporter Ashley Grams joined WCCO in the summer of 2025. She’s excited to be in Minnesota after spending much of her life on the West Coast.

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  • Amid talks on gun laws in Minnesota, debate over security for public officials intensifies

    The shooting of Charlie Kirk is the latest in a series of violent shocks that have left the nation reeling. With Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz set to call a special session to deal with gun violence, the debate over security for public officials intensifies.

    Even before Kirk’s death, Walz had announced he would call a special session of the Minnesota legislature to deal with gun violence.

    In June, Minnesota witnessed the assassination of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in their own home, the near-fatal attack on Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, and on Aug. 27 the deadly shooting at Annunciation. 

    Rep. Zack Stephenson, of Coon Rapids, was chosen by Minnesota House Democrats to replace Hortman as their leader. He was a close friend and pallbearer for Hortman.

    “I think if folks are listening to the families of the victims, if they’re listening to their communities, if they’re listening to the state, then we’ll see meaningful action to decrease gun violence in Minnesota, because regular Minnesotans are demanding that,” Stephenson said.

    Privately, legislators tell WCCO the votes for any kind of weapons or ammunition bans are not there. Republicans are pushing for more money for school resource officers and mental health beds. 



    New DFL Leader Zack Stephenson on gun laws

    05:17

    “House Republicans are committed to making sure that we are keeping our schools and our communities safe. And that is a very broad way of looking at that and getting at the actual foundational root issues that cause someone to act out in such a horrendous way,” GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth said. “I voted for that bill in 2019 and 2020 and ’21 and ’22 before we finally were able to pass it in 2023.”

    Some Democrats, including the governor, are pushing a beefed-up red flag law with emphasis on education. According to Minnesota court records, in 2024, there were 135 extreme risk protection orders filed in the state: 71% by law enforcement and 16% by family members. Ninety-five percent of them were granted.

    “It is a law that is working, that’s saving lives today,” Stephenson said.

    Critics point out that the existing red flag law didn’t work in the attacks on Minnesota lawmakers and the attack at Annunciation.

    Improving the red flag law, as well as tougher gun storage laws, may be areas for common ground. 

    An announcement on a special session is not expected until after the special election to fill Hortman’s seat.

    You can watch WCCO Sunday Morning with Esme Murphy and Adam Del Rosso every Sunday at 6 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

    Esme Murphy

    Esme Murphy, a reporter and Sunday morning anchor for WCCO-TV, has been a member of the WCCO-TV staff since December 1990. She is also a weekend talk show host on WCCO Radio. Born and raised in New York City, Esme ventured into reporting after graduating from Harvard University.

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  • Gov. Tim Walz, legislative leaders meet to discuss special session

    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday convened a meeting with top Republicans and Democrats at the Capitol to discuss details of a special session of the Legislature to respond to the Annunciation Catholic Church shooting that killed two children and injured 21 others two weeks ago.

    Walz wants to call lawmakers back to St. Paul to take action on gun restrictions, namely an assault weapons ban, in wake of the tragedy. But any legislation will require bipartisan support in a closely divided Capitol.

    He told reporters he doesn’t yet have a date set for when he would order that special meeting of the Legislature, but the hope is “sooner rather than later” and that he and leaders are working to come to an agreement about the parameters of a special session before it happens, as is common practice.

    But he said he is willing to call them back anyway — even if they don’t agree on what it will look like.

    “This is where the public leads the discussion on this and the legislators rise to the occasion and do the things that they’re being asked to do. And the public is asking us to do something,” Walz said. “So I hope we can get an agreement ahead of time, but I made it very clear I will call the special session one way or another.”

    Republicans released their proposal of policies to consider in a special session, none of which would put additional restrictions on firearms. They pitch school security grants, more funding for mental health beds, mandatory minimum prison sentences for repeat gun offenders and more.

    House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said she was encouraged that Walz called all leaders together to discuss the topic. She did not say if any members of her caucus would be open to any gun measures, only that they would discuss proposals when they come forward. 

    “House Republicans are committed to making sure that we are keeping our schools and our communities safe, and that is a very broad way of looking at that and getting at the actual foundational root issues that cause someone to act out in such a horrendous way,” she said.

    It’s unclear if the DFL will even have the votes on their side for any additional gun regulations, either. In 2023, when Democrats controlled both chambers, they approved expanding background checks and a “red flag” law that enables a judge to temporarily suspend someone’s access to firearms if determined to be a harm to themselves or others.

    But additional proposals like a safe storage law and reporting of missing or stolen firearms to law enforcement failed to get the necessary support to pass the DFL-led Senate. An assault weapons ban never even received a hearing.

    Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, said she believes the Annunciation shooting, as well as the assassination of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark and attempted killing of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette earlier this summer, may have the ability to move the needle on this issue for some. 

    “We’ve had a really, really difficult summer. We’ve all been impacted by gun violence, both our caucuses, all four caucuses,” Murphy said alongside Rep. Zack Stephenson, House Democrats’ new leader. “And I do think that the events that we live here together can impact how people choose to vote on something. I think we’re going to have some very frank and important conversations.”

    House Republicans have a one-seat edge right now because of the vacancy due to Hortman’s death. There is a special election next week that could return the chamber to a tie, requiring bipartisan collaboration to get bills to the floor and to pass.

    Even in the Senate, where Democrats had a one-seat majority this year, any legislation will need Republican support because of the vacancy due to Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s resignation in wake of her burglary conviction. A special election for her Woodbury-area seat isn’t until November, and the special session is likely to happen earlier. 

    “We only have 33 members, and we need 34 people to pass legislation out of our body. So we’re doing our work. I hope Republicans are doing their work, but we’re going to need a Republican vote in order to move anything out of the Minnesota Senate,” Murphy said.

    The two DFL leaders and Walz suggested taking a vote on the assault weapons ban — even if it doesn’t have enough support to pass — so Minnesotans know where their elected officials stand on the issue.

    “I hope that in the time between now and whenever we have a special session, whenever that is, that all members of the Legislature, but particularly the Republican colleagues, are listening to what the community’s saying, what the families are saying, and taking it to heart,” Stephenson said.

    Some families have spoken out in wake of the shooting, demanding that the Legislature do something to prevent this from happening again. The mother of 9-year-old Vivian St. Clair, who was shot three times that day, held a news conference last week imploring that lawmakers to make a change.

    “To our lawmakers and people in power: Who the hell is going to do something? Who’s going to make meaningful change and take tangible steps to break the cycle?” Malia Kimbrell said.

    Walz said recently he would unveil a full, detailed package of proposals in the coming days. He is considering, in addition to the assault weapons ban, a safe storage law, liability insurance and a stronger red flag law

    The governor and leaders are expected to meet again this week. The regular session is due to start in mid-February.

    Caroline Cummings

    Caroline Cummings is an Emmy-winning reporter with a passion for covering politics, public policy and government. She is thrilled to join the WCCO team.

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  • Walkout: Highland High students stage rally as part of nationwide effort to end school gun violence

    On a typical early Friday afternoon, Highland High School senior Carmen LeCluyse would still be in class — wrapping up her academic week and maybe thinking about some weekend R&R.

    But for LeCluyse and scores of her Highland classmates — along with legions of youth across the nation — these are not typical days.

    Last week, two children were killed and several more injured in a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. In 2025, there have been 44 school shootings in the United States, including 22 on K-12 school grounds, CNN reported.

    LeCluyse and approximately 150 other Highland High students staged a walkout Friday to call for increased gun safety at schools.

    Students participate in a nationwide “walkout” to demand stronger gun laws at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

    After gathering outside the school entrance, the teen activists marched to neighboring Sugar House Park to stage their rally. More than a dozen students seized opportunities to climb atop a park bench and, with bullhorn in hand, demand increased protection from gun violence in their schools.

    Several others carried signs reading: “We deserve more than thoughts & prayers,” “Will I be next?” and “Stop gun violence.”

    Friday’s Highland High student rally was one of many student walkouts happening simultaneously across the country as part of a nationwide effort organized by the gun violence prevention movement Students Demand Action.

    Friday’s actions were prompted, in part, by last week’s Minnesota school shooting.

    The attention-grabbing school walkouts are vital because gun violence in schools affects “literally everyone,” said LeCluyse, who helped organize the Highland High rally.

    “I don’t know a single person who hasn’t been in a lockdown during their life,” she told the Deseret News while leading the student march to the park.

    Highland student walkout_LS_0002.JPG

    Students participate in a nationwide “walkout” to demand stronger gun laws at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

    “It’s something that affects every aspect of our daily lives. And I think following the school shooting last week, it’s just really important to tell people that we’ve had enough of this.

    “This isn’t the future that we want to grow up in. We deserve better.”

    LeCluyse added she learned about the nationwide Students Demand Action effort just a few days ago. So organizing Friday’s rally “has been hectic” — spreading the word via word of mouth and social media and posting flyers.

    “So it’s great to see these people here — especially with how quickly we put it all together.”

    While school shootings such as the recent one in Minnesota often leave people flummoxed as they search for solutions, LeCluyse countered that other countries have more aggressively regulated access to firearms, particularly assault-style weapons.

    Highland student walkout_LS_0004.JPG

    Highland High School students participate in a nationwide “walkout” to demand stronger gun laws at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

    “I think we see those solutions in other countries … but do we actually have the commitment to put them in place here and protect our kids?”

    After congregating on the north end of Sugar House Park, a long line of student protesters took turns standing atop a park bench, issuing their own personal calls to action.

    “We need more mental health (resources) in our schools, but we’re being ignored,” said one student. “We need to use our voices and stand up for what is right. We do not deserve to die in a place where we’re supposed to be protected.”

    Said another female student: “We should not be threatened with death every day in school.”

    “Every day I worry that I will go to school and not come back,” added another teen. “I worry that I’m not going to see my friends again.

    “I should be stressed about tests — so why do I have to worry about dying?”

    A young man spoke of recent policies in Wyoming loosening gun regulations on school grounds.

    “Politicians,” he said, “are not doing anything to stop this.”

    Highland High senior Macie Robbins said she joined Friday’s walkout out of concern for her younger friends and relatives who will be attending school for several more years.

    “They don’t deserve to have to fear going to class.”

    The threat of school gun violence has been Robbins’ reality throughout her K-12 school years. “Even when I was in kindergarten, we were doing drills on active shooters entering the school,” she said.

    “Even though they were drills, we were still taught, at a young age, that we need to hide in cubbies or hide under our desks or hide in corners and lock all the doors in the schools.”

    Robbins added she hopes more can be done to acknowledge and address mental health issues, especially for young people — even while lessening access to firearms.

    Nationwide school walkouts

    Highland student walkout_LS_0005.JPG

    Highland High School junior Shila Sudbury speaks to a group of her classmates as students nationwide participated in a “walkout” to demand stronger gun laws in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

    Highland student walkout_LS_0008.JPG

    Highland High School students participate in a nationwide “walkout” to demand stronger gun laws at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

    Highland student walkout_LS_0006.JPG

    Highland High School student Scarlet Van Slooten participates in a nationwide “walkout” to demand stronger gun laws in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

    Highland student walkout_LS_0007.JPG

    Highland High School students participate in a nationwide “walkout” to demand stronger gun laws in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

    Highland student walkout_LS_0002.JPG

    Students participate in a nationwide “walkout” to demand stronger gun laws at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

    Highland student walkout_LS_0010.JPG

    Students participate in a nationwide “walkout” to demand stronger gun laws at Highland High School in Salt Lake City on Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. | Laura Seitz, Deseret News

    The Highland High School rally was one of more than 250 coordinated school walkouts Friday across the country, according to Students Demand Action.

    “We shouldn’t have to stage national protests just to be heard, but that’s exactly what we did — more than 250 times over — across the country today,” said Timberlyn Mazeikis, a gun violence survivor from the school shooting at Michigan State University in 2023 and Students Demand Action volunteer from Minnesota.

    “Thoughts and prayers won’t save us. Our generation deserves to grow up and live without the fear of bullets flying through our hallways. We’re demanding state and federal lawmakers ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines now.”

    Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action, said Friday’s walkouts across the country are youth exercises in courage.

    “Students are walking out of their classrooms and into history, demanding the action that will save lives,” said Ferrell-Zabala in a Students Demand Action report.

    “Lawmakers should take note: These students will not be ignored, and they will not stop until assault weapons are banned and our schools are safe.”

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  • Mom of Annunciation shooting victim gives message to lawmakers:

    The mother of a third grader who was shot during the attack on Annunciation Church recounted a painful week while calling on lawmakers to make a change.

    “The trauma is palpable, and we are not OK,” said Malia Kimbrell, speaking at Hennepin Healthcare on Thursday.

    Kimbrell’s daughter, 9-year-old Vivian St. Clair, was shot multiple times: twice in the back and once in the arm. Kimbrell says St. Clair hid under the pews, then followed a teacher to safety.

    “It was there that her friend said to her, ‘Vivi, are you OK? You have a hole in your back’,” Kimbrell said.

    The 9-year-old was scooped up by a police officer and taken by ambulance to Hennepin Healthcare’s pediatric intensive care unit, the same hospital where Kimbrell works.

    “There was evil that day, there was unimaginable evil, but I want to acknowledge that there was also countless examples of selfless people doing extraordinary things,” Kimbrell said.

    Vivian St. Clair

    GoFundMe


    One of those heroes was Samantha Low, a manager from the newborn intensive care unit who stayed with St. Clair through a CT scan until her mom arrived.

    “Staying with her was not bravery, it was instinct,” said Low. “As a mom myself, I’d hope someone would do the same for my child and I would do it again tomorrow without hesitation.”

    Low said St. Clair showed “strength and courage”.

    Vivian was one of 21 people injured when the gunman took the lives of two children, Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel.

    “We all dropped our kids off that morning, but we didn’t all get to take our kids home, and that level of heartbreak is unfathomable,” Kimbrell said.

    Kimbrell is asking lawmakers to ban semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines.

    “I will invite you to come to my living room and insist that you hold Vivian’s hand while we do her dressing changes each night and she cries the entire time,” Kimbrell said. “You can look her in the eye while you cleanse her bullet wounds, and you can tell her to her face why you are opposed to keeping her safe… To our lawmakers and people in power: who the hell is going to do something? Who’s going to make meaningful change and take tangible steps to break the cycle? This moment and this opportunity will define your character. Are you courageous or are you a coward? Do you care about our kids? Don’t tell us the answer, show us. Prove it.”  

    Kimbrell’s words come one day after Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance visited Annunciation Catholic Church.

    “I think that there is obviously there is a strong desire from across the political spectrum to do something so these shootings are less common,” Vance said before he left Minnesota on Wednesday.  “I think that it’s important that [Minnesota lawmakers] take steps that are durable, that are going to work.”

    St. Clair was released from the hospital and is recovering at home. Her family says there are some bullet fragments that are still in her body. A GoFundMe for her family has raised more than $160,000 of its $180,000 goal.

    As of Thursday night, two more children are still hospitalized.

    Twelve-year-old Lydia Kaiser needed brain surgery to remove bullet fragments,  but her parents say she’s making remarkable progress at Children’s Minnesota.

    Sophia Forchas, 12, is still in critical condition at Hennepin Healthcare.

    For more information on how to help the Annunciation shooting victims, click here.

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  • Twin Cities mayors call for ban on high-capacity gun magazines

    In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, mayors from the metro called for gun reform. A ban on high-capacity magazines was just one of their requests.

    “We’re asking for a ban on high-capacity magazines,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.

    It was a request for action from Frey and eight other surrounding city leaders.

    “You shouldn’t have the ability to reel off 30 shots before you need to reload,” Frey added.

    According to police, 116 casings from a semi-automatic rifle were collected at the scene of Annunciation Catholic Church. Investigators say the shots were fired in a matter of minutes, and that’s leading to calls for change.

    It’s a push that’s already been enacted by 14 other states and Washington, D.C.

    “Anytime you’re trying to enact firearm legislation it’s going to be an uphill battle,” said Dr. James Densley, who’s the co-founder for the Violence Prevention Project at Hamline University. Densley says his studies of mass shootings for the last decade show clear evidence.

    “The data are actually pretty clear about this. High-capacity magazines, when they’re used, more people die and more people are injured,” Densley added.

    But gun rights activists say the equipment isn’t the issue.

    “The magazine capacity is irrelevant when you can carry as many firearms or as many magazines, you know, as you would like to, and it takes less than 2 seconds to swap them out,” said Robert Doar of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus.

    Densley says a high-profile event like last week could lead to more support for reform, but Minnesota’s in the middle when it comes to firearms.

    “It really comes down to how much motivation and how much momentum there is after a tragedy,” Densley told WCCO.

    But in theory, questions upon questions remain.

    “What happens with the ones already in existence? There’s tens of thousands in lawful hands in Minnesota,” Doar added.

    “Unless there is legislation at the federal level, you’re still going to have the ability of people to cross borders,” said Densley.

    Governor Walz says he intends to call a special session on guns.

    Frankie McLister

    Frankie McLister, originally from Middletown, Maryland, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.

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  • Seattle sues Glock over illegal ‘switch’ devices

    SEATTLE – Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison is suing gun manufacturer Glock over “switches,” illegal modification devices that can turn handguns into machine guns.

    What they’re saying:

    The civil lawsuit accuses Glock of knowingly making, marketing and selling handguns that can be converted to fire automatically, arguing “switches” not only pose a public safety risk, but also puts first responders and law enforcement in danger.

    Handguns contain a small metal piece called a “sear,” which typically prevents a handgun from immediately firing multiple rounds with a single trigger pull. Davison says a converted Glock can fire 30 rounds in two seconds, or hundreds of rounds per minute.

    “The Glock switch puts the public at risk, it puts children and families at risk, and it puts our law enforcement personnel and first responders at risk,” said City Attorney Davison. “Glock knowingly manufactures a gun that can be converted into an automatic weapon. I will hold corporations putting public safety at risk as accountable as the criminals who violate our state and city laws.”

    In the lawsuit, Davison asks the court to require Glock to change its handguns they cannot be modified to fire automatically with the easy application of a switch.

    “Unlike its competitors, who choose to use different, safer standards, Glock chooses to prioritize profits over public safety,” said City Attorney Davison. “I’m bringing this litigation because of the massive increase in gun violence caused by converted Glocks. By using this civil remedy – and continuing to use criminal prosecution community-wide – we will fight gun violence both upstream and downstream.”

    By the numbers:

    Data from Seattle police states Glock switches were recovered in 58 incidents in the past two years, and the number of shell casings recovered at crime scenes climbed from 2,514 in 2020 to 5,746 in 2023.

    Davison names three retail gun stores in the lawsuit, which have not yet responded to FOX 13’s request for comment.

    Seattle sues Glock, retailers over gun converter

    The Source: Information in this story came from Seattle City Attorney Ann Davison.

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    Will.Wixey@fox.com (Will Wixey)

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  • How does Minnesota’s red flag law work?

    A mom who lost her son in the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, 13 years ago, and is now the CEO of Sandy Hook Promise, says red flag laws can help save lives.

    “We advocate for things like extreme risk protection orders which in time we’ll figure out if that could have been used here to help prevent this tragedy,” Nicole Hockley said.

    Minnesota does have a red flag Law. It allows family, law enforcement or city and county attorneys to ask for an Extreme Risk Protection Order or ERPO. The law is designed to take guns out of the hands of people in a moment of crisis. They can petition the court to have a person’s guns removed or to temporarily prohibit someone from buying a gun for a period of time

    In the first year of the law in Minnesota, which was 2024, 138 petitions were filed for people who were at risk of hurting themselves or someone else. A judge granted a petition to remove a gun or restrict the ability to buy one most of the time. It ranged from 14 days to one year. Some of those have been extended. 

    A family member, usually who lives in the same house, can file a petition. It can also be a parent or child. It extends to law enforcement and a county or city attorney. A family member can bring their concerns to law enforcement to have them do it. That’s the most common way a petition has been filed and approved. 

    In 2024, the first year someone could raise a red flag, we discovered 5 instances where a petition was filed on someone who threatened to shoot people at a school or daycare, or mentioned a school shooting or shooter. Some of the threats were in person, others caught online. In these cases, we found they were all filed by police or a county attorney’s office. An ERPO was granted for the longest allowed time: one year. 

    One has been extended a year. In two of the cases, criminal charges were brought, and both people were convicted of threats of violence. One person was civilly committed following the petition. 

    Lawmakers say the goal of the red flag law is to save lives. Experts in this area say they believe this law is saving lives. Earlier this year, we spoke with Dr. Jillian Peterson, director of the Violence Prevention Project Research Center.  

    “There’s so many warning signs, especially if we look at school shooters. 91% of the time they tell somebody that they’re planning on doing it. And so people know this, but it’s not a crime to say you’re thinking about doing something. And so law enforcement’s hands are tied in a lot of these cases,” said Peterson. “So I think having a resource to get firearms away from that person just in that moment of crisis. And we know you should not have immediate access to firearms in that moment. 100% I think it has the ability to save lives.”

    If someone is in immediate danger, experts say to call 911.

    Here are resources to learn more about Minnesota’s red flag law.

    Jennifer Mayerle

    Jennifer Mayerle happily returned to Minnesota and WCCO, where she began her career as a summer intern. The Emmy and Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist returned to WCCO as a reporter in 2014 and later also anchored WCCO Saturday Morning for 6 years. Then in early 2024 she focused on her new role as Senior Investigative Reporter.

    Jennifer Mayerle

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  • 6/21: CBS News Weekender

    6/21: CBS News Weekender

    6/21: CBS News Weekender – CBS News


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    Lana Zak reports on a mass shooting in Arkansas that left three people dead, the Supreme Court upholding a law that prohibits domestic abusers from owning guns, and why Americans are falling behind when it comes it comes to taking vacations.

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