Rally at MN Capitol calls for gun control after Annunciation shooting

“The policy and legal questions around an assault weapons ban are a lot more complicated than I think what’s being presented,” Niska told the Minnesota Star Tribune. “That’s the real reason why I don’t think there’s been progress on it in Minnesota.”

Authorities say Robin Westman used a rifle, pistol and a shotgun during the attack at Annunciation, “underscoring that focusing on the design of a firearm misses the larger point,” said Rob Doar, senior vice president of government affairs for the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, a gun rights nonprofit.

In a statement on Monday, Doar said tens of thousands of AR-style rifles and accessories are already legally owned in Minnesota and that a ban wouldn’t change that or survive a legal challenge.

“Instead of treating this as a political football in an election year, we should pursue steps that research shows are effective: strengthening mental health resources, broadening community support systems, providing schools with discreet layered security, and denying perpetrators the notoriety they seek,” Doar said. “These solutions would have real impact and can earn broad bipartisan, even unanimous, support.”

Democrats in recent years have raised other ideas to limit access to guns, including raising the legal age to buy certain rifles from 18 to 21 years. The shooter at Annunciation was 23.

Earlier this year, courts struck down a Minnesota law that banned people who are younger than 21 from getting a permit to carry a handgun in public.