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The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus says this on their website:

Governor Walz has also called on a complete BAN on magazines holding more than 10 rounds and has previously supported bans on semi-automatic rifles – there is no doubt in our minds that he would sign such a bill.

This is a reference to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who was just chosen to be Vice President Harris’ running mate.

My question is, is it true that Walz previously supported bans on semi-automatic rifles?

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    The question is fine but the underlying claim is worded as a classic motte-and-bailey; bans on semi-automatic rifles is implied to mean banning all semi-automatic rifles, but is worded so that it could be some degree of true for gun control measures that target magazine capacity or aftermarket modifications to firing rate or whatever
    – CJR
    Commented Aug 6 at 20:01
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    Why the downvotes?
    – Keshav Srinivasan
    Commented Aug 7 at 14:30

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A newspaper report from 2024-02-21 says:

Minnesota Dems offer modest gun control agenda, fearing election backlash • Minnesota Reformer

Some progressive DFL lawmakers are aiming for laws restricting the sale and possession of semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15, but slim majorities in both chambers and skittish caucus moderates will make passage difficult — especially in an election year when all 134 House seats are on the ballot and the issue could create political headaches for swing-district Democrats.
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proposing a bill this session that would ban the possession of large-capacity magazines, semi-automatic “military-style assault weapons” and .50-caliber or larger guns.
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Last week, the Reformer asked Walz during a media availability whether he supports a semi-automatic rifle ban. The governor said he would need to look at the bill language.

“The one thing I can tell you with absolute certainty is we do not need these weapons of war in our classrooms, on our streets, in the Capitol building,” Walz said. “I’m interested to see what comes up.”

The key point is that they are talking about assault rifles: "rifles like the AR-15", "weapons of war", and about large-capacity magazines (e.g. hundreds of rounds).

So no, whatever he may have supported, it wasn't banning semi-automatic rifles in general.

No politician that wants to be reelected would support such a ban, given that 500,000 hunting licences are issued each year in Minnesota (population 5 million), and each of those hunters has family and friends that would agree that such a ban would be ridiculous.

Canada, where I live, has very strict gun laws, but the only restriction on semi-automatic rifles is on their magazine capacity (if you can't hit the deer in 5 shots, you have lots of time to reload before the next one comes along). There is no significant support for banning the rifles here.

And his politician's response, "need to look at the bill language", indicates that he was not a supporter.

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    > large-capacity magazines (e.g. hundreds of rounds). Umm, Hundreds of rounds? I think any magazine over 10 is considered high capacity. ref: wikipedia
    – pinegulf
    Commented Aug 7 at 7:57
  • @pinegulf: well, in the UK all shotguns or rifles with a magazine of 2+ rounds are subject to stricter licensing requirements.
    – Believe it or not...
    Commented Aug 7 at 11:49
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    @pinegulf says "any magazine over 10 is considered high capacity". How Many Rounds Can an AR-15 Hold? says: "The standard magazine capacity for most AR-15 rifles is 30 rounds. This capacity has become synonymous with the AR-15 platform due to its widespread use in various applications, … magazines come in various capacities, often holding 50 or even 100 rounds of ammunition.". Larger are rare but do exist.
    – Ray Butterworth
    Commented Aug 7 at 14:43
  • Huh. That's a lot of ammo. Just out of curiosity: does anyone know how prone to jam these wold be? I've had issues with .22 holding over 10 rounds.
    – pinegulf
    Commented Aug 7 at 16:30
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    @pinegulf says "That's a lot of ammo.". The purpose of an assault rifle is to do as much damage as possible in as little time as possible. You burst into the bad-guys' hideout and kill everyone in a few seconds, or you pause to reload after the first burst of 10 shots and you die.
    – Ray Butterworth
    Commented Aug 7 at 16:41

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