SAINT PAUL, Minn. – As the Minnesota legislature prepares to head into a special session intended to tackle gun laws, the state’s top prosecutor believes all sides should “commit to keep talking” to “come up with some answers.”
“I do pray that our country can come together to end this scourge of gun violence,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said on The Flag on September 5th.
Governor Tim Walz is planning to call for the special session after the deadly mass shooting at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.
But Ellison himself received some criticism for saying that his ‘thoughts and prayers’ are going toward the pursuit of a national ban on assault rifles.
“I am a very religious person. I pray every day,” Ellison clarified on The Flag. “Never ever would I dream of mocking prayer, but I always pray for things.”
Listen: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison On The Flag
Ellison says he’s in favor of restoring the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, which was in place between 1994 and 2004.
Ellison claimed the law reduced mass shootings by 180-percent, and claims they went up 230-percent after the ban was lifted.
Ellison was asked by What’s On Your Mind? host Scott Hennen if he was naive to believe that guns are the problem rather than the people behind them.
“I think it’s ridiculous to say it’s not both,” said Ellison. “I think it’s naive to think that it has nothing to do with the guns, and I also think it’s naive that it has only to do with the guns.”
Ellison said the reason behind gun violence is a “multifaceted thing” and believe there should be some “money into making sure that there’s something there” to address mental health.
Others have also raised issues about the Minneapolis shooter’s mental state based on gender dysphoria.
Ellison says he doesn’t think “it has anything specific to do with gun violence.”
“That’s really not what’s driving this,” said Ellison. “”If you look at the demographics at who does these mass shootings, it’s overwhelmingly young men.”
More broadly, Ellison says he believes gun violence “has to do with the availability of guns and a mental health crisis that we’re not facing.”
“Can we just agree that gun violence is a serious scourge on our country and we need to do something about it,” said Ellison.
At the same time, Ellison suggested that the mental health matter, and the usage of prescription medications such as SSRIs could be explored.
“Maybe that [gun violence] has something to do with the over prescription of [SSRI[ medications. I don’t know that but I’m ready to study it,” said Ellison.
Ellison was also confronted with statements made about gun dealers, by suggesting sellers are also partly responsible for mass shootings and gun violence.
“Most gun dealers are responsible [selling]. I will also say there’s a percentage that are not and they do damage,” said Ellison. “Even if one, two or five percent are not ethical, that’s putting a lot of guns in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.”
While acknowledging there are different opinions, Ellison said that all sides do agree “we share a commitment to saving our kids.”
“Let’s just commit to keep talking,” said Ellison. “If you and I keep talking, we might somehow come up with some answers. But we’ll never know if we don’t talk.”
