After two more mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas shook the country earlier this month, Minnesotans hoped that maybe, just maybe, Republicans would finally take action on gun violence prevention. Trump even indicated that he may be open to the background check laws that 9 out of 10 Minnesotans support.
But that was only until Trump spoke with the National Rifle Association (NRA), a pro-gun group that spends millions of dollars every year to make sure our schools and communities stay vulnerable to senseless violence while firearms companies turn a huge profit. Now, Trump is caving to NRA pressure and refusing to take action on gun violence.
A broken promise from Trump? We can’t say we’re surprised.
Here in Minnesota, legislative Republicans still haven’t even agreed to schedule a gun violence prevention hearing, despite repeated calls from DFLers and hundreds of Minnesotans.
Minnesotans are fed up. DFLers are fed up. Governor Tim Walz is fed up. In a recent press conference, he held up a blank piece of paper and said, “Here’s the hearing schedule for guns {…} and other things. That’s still blank, I’m still waiting. Absolutely unacceptable.”
He’s right. Because if Trump won’t take action on gun violence prevention, Minnesota must. We can’t let Republicans put this off any longer. Minnesotans deserve to feel safe in our schools and communities, but Republicans only seem to care about what the NRA thinks.
Republicans might be too scared to stand up to the NRA, but we’re not. Together, we can hold conservatives accountable and stand up to their cheap excuses.
