In an effort to prod Minnesota lawmakers (namely Republicans) into backing a gun ban bill at the statehouse, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter introduced a “Gun Violence Prevention Ordinance” on Wednesday; a move that’s a flagrant violation of the state’s firearm preemption statute.
The ordinance has language that its provisions would only take effect if the state legislature repeals the preemption law, which is about as likely to happen as the Republican caucus going along with Gov. Tim Walz’s demand to ban commonly owned semi-automatic firearms.
Still, the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus has already declared it will challenge the ordinance in court if the St. Paul City Council approves the measure and Carter signs into law.
The Gun Owners Law Center, which opposes the ordinance, expressed concerns that it could confuse gun owners.
“For us, the biggest issue is that one people who look at the ordinances may not understand that they’re not actually in effect yet, and so they may alter their conduct, and it will chill the exercise of their right,” said Rob Doar, president of the Gun Owners Law Center.
Nov. 5 is the second reading of the ordinance and public hearing. The third reading of the ordinance and vote from council members is set for Nov. 12.
I think Doar’s right about the confusing effect the ordinance is likely to have on St. Paul gun owners. No matter how closely you and I may follow Second Amendment news, many gun owners simply don’t pay as much attention as they should. Plus, sometimes even those who are knowledgeable about issues can still get confused on the details.
However, the proposal faces challenges due to state laws that restrict cities from enforcing gun regulations without approval from state lawmakers.
Political analyst Larry Jacobs said it’s unlikely the state legislature will approve the ordinance.
“There’s almost no chance that the state legislature will approve St. Paul’s ordinance to restrict the sale and possession of firearms,” Jacobs said. “The state legislature considers it their authority to do that.”
Despite the contention by KTSP and the political analyst, Minnesota’s firearm preemption law doesn’t allow localities to adopt their own gun control ordinances and then submit them to the legislature for approval. Here’s what the statute says:
The legislature preempts all authority of a home rule charter or statutory city including a city of the first class, county, town, municipal corporation, or other governmental subdivision, or any of their instrumentalities, to regulate firearms, ammunition, or their respective components to the complete exclusion of any order, ordinance or regulation by them except that:
(a) a governmental subdivision may regulate the discharge of firearms; and
(b) a governmental subdivision may adopt regulations identical to state law.
Local regulation inconsistent with this section is void.
Do you see anything in there that suggests St. Paul has the power to adopt a local ordinance and ask the legislature to let it be enforced? I sure don’t.
But if experts like these can’t even figure out how the state’s firearm preemption law works, why on earth should we think the average St. Paul resident is going to understand that anything the city might pass is unenforceable? Especially when the mayor and city council members are doing everything they can to make it seem like the ordinance will have teeth to it.
Carter said he wants to see the city ban public possession of assault weapons, binary triggers and guns in recreation centers and libraries. He also suggests requiring every firearm to have a serial number.
“All of those things to me are common sense gun legislation,” said City Council President Rebecca Noecker. “The trouble is that our lawmakers in Congress and our state lawmakers don’t seem to be reflecting the will of the people on those issues.”
Noecker told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS she’s already spoken with Carter about the possibility of developing an ordinance.
“My hope is we can get it done within the next month or two,” she said. “We want to draft an ordinance that’s going to work and do our homework and do it right. That means that specifically our city attorneys have time to look at the language to help us draft the right language to make sure it will withstand any challenge.”
If the city actually tries to cite someone from possession of an AR-15 or a lawfully carried firearm in a library, there is absolutely no way it survives a legal challenge. The only possible way for the ordinance to survive a lawsuit is for it to never actually be enforced, which makes this an act of political theater on the part of Carter and his Democrat colleagues.
We had hoped reason and respect for the law would prevail, but @RebeccaNoecker seems intent on moving forward with an ordinance that’s clearly preempted by state law. St. Paul taxpayers will now foot the bill for a lawsuit the city is almost certain to lose.
They could simply… https://t.co/wGSENTwDhP pic.twitter.com/kq8curWoGW
— MN Gun Owners Caucus (@mnguncaucus) October 23, 2025
St. Paul isn’t the only city considering adopting local ordinances on gun control because Democrat politicians are upset that th votes for a gun ban in the state legislature simply aren’t there. Gov. Tim Walz says he won’t even call a special session to address school safety or security unless Republicans guarantee a vote on a ban on so-called assault weapons. Meanwhile some schools in Minnesota don’t even have doors for their classrooms; a staggering lack of security that Walz doesn’t seem bothered by in the slightest.
Parents and teachers are worried about the lack of doors in third-floor classrooms at Chisago Lakes Middle School.
The current setup uses curtains as barriers, which many feel are insufficient for lockdown situations.
The failed $64 million tax referendum in May aimed to address these safety issues. However, with its failure, the school district is left with the same security measures as before.
What they’re saying:
“Something happens in this hallway, there’s really no way out, and for them to get in it’s very easy,” said Brennen Norelius, a student at Chisago Lakes.
Rebecca Rivard, a concerned parent, shared, “It’s scary. And I can tell you right now, my son is scared… And with Annunciation, everything that happened there, it just puts these safety concerns to the front.”
Republican lawmakers want to provide tens of millions of dollars in school security grants, and I’m pretty sure they could convince at least a handful of their Democratic colleagues to join them. But even though there’s enough bipartisan agreement to put doors between students and a potential killer, Tim Walz won’t allow that to happen because he wants a gun ban. And instead of using their platform to pressure Walz into calling for the special session (that he himself insisted would happen) so that Republicans and Democrats can join together and bolster school security across the state, local officials like Carter are using this as opportunity to grandstand for gun control and to, ironically, ignore state law so they can put local ordinances in place that violent criminals and murderous maniacs will ignore as well.
I’m usually numb to this kind of political nonsense, but it really does bother me that so many schools across the state are vulnerable and in need of security upgrades but Walz is standing at the proverbial schoolhouse door to prevent those upgrades from taking place. I’ve long thought Walz a weasel, but his callous disregard for student safety while cosplaying as a concerned governor is truly a despicable new low.
Editor’s Note: The Schumer Shutdown is here. Rather than put the American people first, Chuck Schumer and the radical Democrats forced a government shutdown for healthcare for illegals. They own this.
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