Governor-elect Tim Walz is pushing for universal background checks on gun purchases, as the nation logs another mass shooting — this time in California. “It’s just too many of those,” he says. “We need to try taking some actions that the science behind this shows that we can make some reductions.” Walz says states with universal background checks have lower incidence of mass shootings. The governor-elect says he’s also “very interested” in giving judges authority to issue protective orders that restrict firearms when there’s danger in homes.
Senate Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka is noncommittal at this point on possible measures to lessen gun violence. He says it’s “certainly that’s an issue that there is some openness to finding some areas that we agree on.”