Lydia Kaiser, an eighth grader, spoke about her recovery after she was shot in the head in the Annunciation shooting.

ST PAUL, Minn. — Gov. Tim Walz introduced a gun violence prevention package to the Minnesota legislature on Tuesday.  

Advocates and gun violence survivors attended the press conference, which comes six months after the Annunciation mass shooting left two children dead and dozens injured in Minneapolis. 

“We’ve seen this so many times in America,” Walz said. “Now we have Annunciation. The difference in Minnesota is that we’re not willing to let this go. We are not willing to say this is the way we have to live and we’re taking action on it.”

Walz said the legislative package includes a ban on military assault rifles and high-capacity magazines. The legislation would also require gun owners to store their weapons safely and report any weapons that are missing or stolen. 

Additionally, Walz said he is advocating for a firearm and ammunition tax, firearm insurance requirements and expanded resources for schools that are targets of shootings. 

The final element of the package includes closing the legal loophole that allows for the creation of “ghost guns,” which are firearms that are not properly registered or trackable. 

“I want to make this legislative session an opportunity to make Minnesota the safest state around gun violence while doing nothing to infringe on your Second Amendment rights,” Walz said. 

Lydia Kaiser, an eighth-grader, survived a gunshot wound to the head in the Annunciation shooting. She spoke at the press conference Tuesday about what happened. 

“We all hid under the pews. The older students covered the younger students to protect them. I was taken to the hospital and rushed into surgery,” Kaiser said. “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. No one should have to go through what we went through at Annunciation.”