Lawmakers are returning from summer break down in Washington D.C., and Minnesota’s progressive leaders have a major issue at the top of their agenda: gun violence prevention. 

That’s no surprise, considering 90 percent of Minnesotans support common sense gun violence prevention measures, like background checks, to make sure that dangerous firearms don’t end up in the wrong hands. It just makes sense, but it will be an uphill battle. We’ve all been shocked and saddened by mass shooting after mass shooting, and we’re demanding action now. 

Even though Minnesotans have been loud and clear on this issue, Minnesota’s conservative Congressmen — Jim Hagedorn, Pete Stauber, and Tom Emmer — are standing firmly with Trump by doing everything in their power to make sure these safety measures don’t pass. They’ve even earned “A” ratings from the National Rifle Association (NRA), a radical million-dollar pro-gun group. That’s a good grade if you’re a gun manufacturer, but not if you’re a Minnesota family. 

In the U.S. Senate, progressive Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar have been fighting for background checks and red flag laws for safer schools and communities, but they can only do so much with the senate’s do-nothing, “grim reaper” Republican Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell in power.  

That’s unacceptable. Whether they’re in St. Paul or Washington D.C., Minnesotans are tired of waiting around for conservatives to finally take action on gun violence prevention. Parents are tired of worrying if a tragedy will strike at their kids’ schools. Students are tired of practicing lockdown drills when they should be practicing writing and math. We’re tired of being disappointed time after time by conservatives putting the NRA over the people they’re supposed to serve. 

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