Minneapolis Council Set to Pass Assault Weapons Ban, Though State Law Limits Its Reach

The Minneapolis City Council is expected to approve a ban on assault weapons in the city at its Thursday meeting, completing a measure that has drawn unanimous support from members and backing from the mayor.

The ordinance is part of a push by 17 Minnesota cities that pledged to adopt gun violence measures after the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School, where a gunman killed two children and injured 28 others.

Under the bill, certain semi-automatic weapons defined in state law and commonly known as assault weapons would be prohibited, including AK- and AR-variant firearms. The measure would also outlaw large capacity magazines, binary triggers and ghost guns.

On Tuesday, the council voted unanimously to advance the bill to a final vote. Cheers broke out in the chamber, where Annunciation parents and other community members had gathered in support.

Nicole Farrell, whose seventh-grader was attending Mass when the gunman fired through the church's stained glass windows, described the lasting effect on her son. "My son is always on alert, scanning for danger," she said. "Unexpected noises, as simple as opening a can of crescent rolls for dinner, can send him spiraling."

Council Member Aurin Chowdhury said the shooting had affected every part of the city. "It's something that has touched all our wards and all of our constituents," she said at Tuesday's hearing. "We are just extremely united as a city to do everything we can to reduce the harm of gun violence." A spokesperson said Mayor Jacob Frey supports the bill.

Despite that unity, the ordinance would be largely symbolic. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, Minnesota is one of 42 states with preemption laws that bar city governments from regulating firearms. The nonprofit says such laws became common in the 1980s after backlash to an Illinois city's decision to ban handguns.

Mayors of several Minnesota cities have urged the state to repeal its preemption laws. In November, St. Paul passed a similar assault weapons ban that will not take effect until those laws are lifted.

Opposition is already forming. In a letter sent Tuesday to Frey and council members, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus said it would pursue legal action if the ban is adopted. "This ordinance is facially invalid under state law and represents an unlawful assertion of municipal power," wrote Rob Doar, the group's general counsel.

The issue is also active at the state level. Earlier this week, Minnesota Senate Democrats voted to pass new restrictions on assault-style weapons and high capacity magazines. The bill's prospects in the House, which is tied 67-67, remain uncertain.