Vice President Kamala Harris recently hosted a gathering of approximately 100 legislators who have been instrumental in the passage of new gun control measures in their respective states. Among the attendees were five Democratic legislators from Minnesota who sponsored two contentious gun control laws signed into law by Governor Tim Walz in May.

State Senators Ron Latz, Alice Mann, and Bonnie Westlin, along with DFL House members Kelly Moeller and Dave Pinto, attended the event. The new laws they championed, an extreme risk protection order and a universal background check bill, narrowly passed in the Minnesota Senate by a single vote.

The event was part of the Biden administration’s efforts to reduce gun violence, which includes the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Kamala Harris. The office aims to strengthen federal partnerships with cities and states to help them reduce gun violence.

During the event, Harris announced the launch of the administration’s Safer States Initiative. This initiative will provide states with additional resources and support to reduce gun violence, including the encouragement to establish their own State Office of Gun Violence Prevention.

Moeller, a representative from Shoreview, participated in a panel discussion highlighting the successful implementation of gun control measures in Minnesota and other states during their 2023 legislative sessions.

The legislators’ visit to Washington, D.C. follows a legislative session in Minnesota where the passage of the gun control bills was uncertain until the final hours due to the Democrats’ slim majority in the state Senate.

Read more at Alpha News.