Democratic state representatives in Minnesota have launched an overnight sit-in in the House chamber after the Republican speaker failed to schedule a vote on a gun violence prevention bill. The action, led by Representative Samantha Sencer-Mura, began around 9pm local time on Thursday, with about 50 lawmakers participating intermittently and 20 staying through the night.
The bill, which has already passed the Democrat-controlled Senate, includes bans on semi-automatic assault weapons and large-capacity magazines, along with safe storage requirements, ghost-gun restrictions, and school threat reporting systems. The House remains deadlocked at 67-67, giving Republican Speaker Lisa Demuth control over the agenda.
Sencer-Mura set a 24-hour deadline for a vote after accusing Demuth of breaking a promise to families affected by a school shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church last August, where two students were killed. “What is Speaker Lisa Demuth so afraid of?” Sencer-Mura said. “She’s afraid that her members are hearing their constituents and will choose to be on the right side of history.”
Earlier this month, the Senate passed the bill narrowly. Advocates, including parents of victims and survivors, have pressed for action, delivering a petition with over 7,000 signatures. Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, has backed the measures, while Demuth has argued that gun bans are not the answer, citing a 2003 school shooting in Cold Spring that involved her children.
Tensions escalated when a verbal exchange led Republican leaders to call for Democratic Representative Aisha Gomez to be removed as tax chair, alleging she told a Republican colleague to “shoot himself”. Gomez denies the claim, and video footage does not confirm it. The sit-in is expected to continue until the House reconvenes on Saturday at noon.
