Gun Violence Survivor Lydia Kaiser Urges Lawmakers to Act at State Capitol

Twelve-year-old Lydia Kaiser, who survived a mass shooting that left two classmates dead and 17 others injured at Annunciation Church last August, stood at the Minnesota State Capitol on Monday and called on lawmakers to act.

“All children have the right to live free from gun violence in schools, churches and in our communities. Elected officials have a duty to protect us from guns,” Kaiser said. “No one should have to go through what we go through.”

Kaiser described the long and painful recovery that followed the shooting.

“The doctor moved a large piece, almost half of my skull, to let my brain swell and to remove bone and bullet fragments from my head,” Kaiser said Monday, Feb. 24. “I had a second surgery three weeks later to put the piece of my skull back in my head.”

She stood alongside Gov. Tim Walz as he announced a series of proposals aimed at preventing gun violence. The package includes a ban on assault-style weapons, high-capacity magazines and binary triggers, which increase a firearm’s rate of fire by discharging one round when the trigger is pulled and another when it is released.

Debate Intensifies at the Capitol

The announcement drew gun industry lobbyists to the Capitol, something Walz said caught him off guard. State Rep. Emma Greenman, who introduced a ban on assault-style weapons to the Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee, pointed to the opposition presence.

“The people on the other side are literally, if you look at the testifier list, gun industry lobbyists and folks who sell these weapons,” Greenman said.

“Are there really gun industry people here?” Walz asked. Greenman nodded.

“Well, maybe it’s going to be a little harder than I thought,” Walz said.

Walz said public pressure could influence lawmakers who remain undecided.

“One of the most powerful tools they have is they need to make people here feel uncomfortable, and that includes me,” Walz said. “That something hasn’t been done to continue to keep up the pressure, because the standard thing is to just run off the clock and let this go away.”

Walz attempted but failed to convene a special session last year amid a divided Legislature. Democrats hold a one-seat majority in the Senate, while the House is evenly split 67-67, meaning major reforms would require Republican support.

State Sen. Ron Latz of St. Louis Park said he remains hopeful that bipartisan support could emerge.

“One reason I have that hope is because there are Democrats and Republicans in purple districts that, if they’re listening to their constituents, and frankly if they want to get reelected,” Latz said. “They’re going to vote with us on some of these things and pass the bills that their constituents want to see passed.”

Not everyone supports the proposals. Rob Doar, a gun lobbyist and senior vice president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, said any bill preventing individuals from purchasing or keeping an assault-style weapon is a “non-starter.”

Latz acknowledged hesitation within his own party.

“There are certainly some legislators in the Senate, Democrats and Republicans, who have some hesitation on some of these bills,” Latz said. “But there should be at least 34 votes combined, bipartisan in the Senate that are ready to pass this.”

Broader Context

Walz also referenced the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents, noting that Pretti was reportedly a lawful gun owner with a valid permit.

“What I find interesting was in Alex Pretti’s murder, this sub-story on that one was being a lawful gun owner with concealed carry committed,” Walz said. “Watching some people dismiss that, who aren’t willing to talk about any other type of gun issues. So I think maybe there’s a little more nuance to this, that it’s a little broader issue.”

In the weeks following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, gun permit applications in Minneapolis reportedly tripled to their highest levels since 2021, as first-time buyers sought firearms amid heightened tensions.