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Lawmakers, officers weigh in on Capitol’s new security measures
Visitors now pass AI-powered scanners at the Capitol, where officials say 67,101 people were screened and 28 prohibited items were stopped in the first month.
- Following June 2025 shootings that killed Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and wounded Sen. John Hoffman, the Minnesota Capitol implemented AI-powered weapons screening this year under Gov. Tim Walz's executive order.
- Previously, three public entrances featured 14 doors; now the Capitol restricts access to two entry points with four doors total, overseen by Capitol Security Officer Madison Sauter.
- Minnesota State Patrol records show 67,101 visitors were screened at Capitol entrances during the first month of operations, with the first year costing about $200,000.
- Rep. Kelly Moller, DFL-Shoreview, said weapons screening is worth the cost for "and visitors," though she hopes to ensure the process is not "extra burdensome" for people with disabilities.
- Others, like Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia, remain skeptical because permit-to-carry holders still bring firearms into the Capitol, while Moller hopes for a full weapons ban in the future.
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Lawmakers, officers weigh in on Capitol’s new security measures
ST. PAUL — The 2026 legislative session is about halfway through, and so far, the implementation of new security measures at the state Capitol seem to be going off without much of a hitch. Following the politically motivated shootings that killed Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband and seriously wounded Sen. John Hoffman and his wife in June 2025, Gov. Tim Walz issued an executive order in January requiring weapons screening at the C…
·Cherokee County, United States
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Total News Sources16
Leaning Left0Leaning Right8Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Right
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Right
67% Right
C 33%
R 67%
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