Mayors want the authority to pass their own gun reforms

In response to mass shooting at Annunciation Church on Aug. 27 and ongoing gun violence affecting Minneapolis and the entire state, Mayor Frey has renewed his call for meaningful gun reform. On Aug. 28, 2025, Frey joined representatives from Everytown for Gun Safety and local elected officials in a call to action at City Hall.
Together, they called for immediate action to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, highlighting the urgent need to protect communities from gun violence. The event showcased a broad coalition of voices across various organizations united in demanding safer streets and neighborhoods.
On the first day of school for Minneapolis students, Mayor Frey Moms Demand Action and mayors from across the Twin Cities called for urgent legislative action to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines— or, if the legislature cannot agree, to lift state preemption laws so cities can enact their own common-sense reforms. 
Tuesday's event came on the heels of Governor Tim Walz’s call for a special session of the state legislature. The mayors made it clear that state-level gun reform is the absolute strongest way to make Minnesota safer for everyone – especially children like those victimized in last week’s deadly mass shooting at the Church of the Annunciation.
But if state lawmakers can’t find agreement on meaningful gun reform, the mayors want the authority to pass their own common-sense reforms in their own cities, which currently is not available and would require a change in state law. 
Mayor Frey stated, “If state lawmakers won’t act, then give us the tools to do it ourselves. We know our communities best — and we’re not willing to accept doing nothing.”