Gov. Tim Walz on Monday, Jan. 26, issued an executive order to implement weapons screening at the Minnesota State Capitol, using executive authority to bolster security because the split Legislature is unlikely to do so.
Walz’s executive order comes after an advisory legislative committee on Capitol security earlier this month issued a set of recommendations that include the implementation of weapons screening.
“Government cannot function effectively when elected officials fear for their safety. In the last year, Minnesota has seen horrific acts of political violence,” Walz said in a statement. “This executive order will make the Capitol – the central seat of Minnesota’s state government – safer, ensuring the people’s house remains open, welcoming and secure.”
The weapons screening must be in place by the start of the 2026 legislative session — Feb. 17, according to the executive order.
The executive order is silent about whether people with a permit to carry a gun will still be allowed to do so. But Bob Jacobson, Department of Public Safety commissioner, indicated in a statement that the measure will “ensure what is allowed today is allowed after implementation,” i.e., permit holders will be allowed to carry their firearms — an important concession to Republicans.
The Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security has held monthly meetings since the June assassinations of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor-led committee recommended the Capitol implement weapons screenings despite opposition from the two Republicans on the committee, Rep. Jim Nash of Waconia and Sen. Warren Limmer of Maple Grove.
Minnesota Republicans, including the two Republicans on the committee, have been clear they will oppose any restrictions on their right to carry.
Officials did not say how much the weapons screening will cost. The Department of Public Safety, which is in charge of installing the weapons screening, said it’s working through the details.
“We will share more information as soon as it is available, well in advance of implementation, so visitors, staff and legislators can plan for a smooth and predictable experience at the Capitol,” Jacobson said in a statement.
Minnesota’s Capitol has historically been one of the most open in the nation and regularly draws tens of thousands of visitors a year, both tourists and people who want to engage with the legislative process.
For months, the officials within the Walz administration have said they wanted the weapons screening measures to be approved by the Legislature. But Walz’s executive order signals the governor knew Republicans, who share control of the Minnesota House, won’t pass them.
Meanwhile, the DFL-controlled state Senate announced the upper chamber would begin screening visitors who enter the small Senate gallery, and implementing a ban on firearms and dangerous weapons, including for gun permit holders. The exceptions are licensed police and the sergeant-at-arms.
The Minnesota State Patrol last year hired The Axtell Group to conduct a third-party assessment of the Capitol’s security measures. Its top recommendation was to implement weapons screening procedures.
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