5° and Clear
Walz Orders Weapons Screening at Minnesota Capitol, Marking Historic Shift in the “People’s House”
ST. PAUL, MN.
On Jan. 26, 2026, Governor Tim Walz signed Executive Order 26-02, mandating the installation of weapons screening systems at the Minnesota State Capitol, a move that fundamentally reshapes the security posture of one of the nation’s most accessible statehouses.
For more than a century, Minnesota’s Capitol has been defined by openness. Lawmakers, advocates, students, and residents have long passed freely through its doors, a deliberate expression of democratic accessibility that earned it the moniker “the People’s House.” Walz’s order signals a departure from that tradition and reflects a state grappling with the consequences of political violence and an evolving threat environment.
The order, titled “Ensuring Safety at the Capitol,” directs the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to deploy weapons screening equipment and trained personnel by Feb. 17, 2026, the opening day of the next legislative session.
A Capitol Transformed by Violence
The executive action is rooted in a traumatic chapter in Minnesota’s political history.
On June 14, 2025, a coordinated series of attacks targeted senior Democratic-Farmer-Labor leaders in the Twin Cities’ northern suburbs. House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot inside their Brooklyn Park home. Hours later, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot and seriously wounded in Champlin.
Federal and state prosecutors later characterized the attacks as targeted political violence.
The suspect, Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was arrested following a multi-day manhunt. Investigators disclosed that Boelter had previously served on the Governor’s Workforce Development Board and allegedly impersonated a police officer during the attacks, intensifying concerns about the misuse of authority and access.
In the months since, threats directed at Minnesota lawmakers and public officials have become, in the words of the executive order, “more persistent and more intense.”
From Recommendation to Executive Action
Walz’s decision did not emerge in isolation.
It followed months of review by the Advisory Committee on Capitol Area Security, a six-member body charged with evaluating safety risks across the Capitol complex. The committee’s work was informed by an independent assessment conducted by the Axtell Group, led by former St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell.
The resulting report identified weapons screening as the single most effective measure to reduce the risk of violence at the Capitol.
On Jan. 13, 2026, the committee voted to advance that recommendation. The vote revealed sharp divisions.
Supporting the move were Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Natalie Hudson, State Sen. Bonnie Westlin of Plymouth, and State Rep. Kelly Moller of Shoreview.
Opposing the recommendation were State Sen. Warren Limmer of Maple Grove and State Rep. Jim Nash of Waconia, who raised concerns about cost, scope, and potential encroachments on lawful firearm carry.
As an advisory body, the committee holds no rule-making authority or purchasing power. Its role is limited to recommending action. Walz’s order supplies the authority required to move forward.
What the Order Does and Does Not Change
Executive Order 26-02 does not alter Minnesota’s permit-to-carry laws.
Under current statute, individuals with a valid Minnesota permit to carry may continue to lawfully carry firearms within the Capitol complex. They will, however, be subject to the new screening procedures. Any prohibition on carry for permit holders would require legislative action rather than an executive order.
Those without a permit remain prohibited from possessing firearms or other deadly weapons inside the Capitol, a felony offense under Minnesota law.
The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus emphasized that distinction in its response.
“We’re aware of the Governor’s Executive Order on weapons screening,” said Bryan Strawser, chair of the organization. “Consistent with Minnesota state law, Minnesota permit-to-carry holders will still be able to carry at the Minnesota State Capitol Complex. We will work with state officials to ensure that statutory rights are not infringed.”
Cost, Capacity, and the Price of Security
The governor’s office has stated that implementation costs will be covered through the Minnesota State Patrol’s general fund, which operates under the Department of Public Safety. No final dollar figure has been released.
During committee discussions and related hearings, officials referenced a broader $41 million package of Capitol security upgrades under consideration. That figure includes more than weapons screening alone and covers perimeter bollards, expanded surveillance systems, hardened access points, and upgraded alarm infrastructure.
State officials have indicated that additional operational details, including screening locations, access flow, and accommodations for public access, will be released closer to the start of the legislative session.
A National Context and a Minnesota Reckoning
Minnesota’s Capitol has long stood apart from most statehouses, many of which implemented magnetometers and controlled entry points after the Sept. 11 attacks or following later incidents of political violence. With this order, Minnesota joins the majority of states that have concluded that openness must be balanced against evolving threats.
In the executive order, Walz framed the shift not as a retreat from democracy, but as a safeguard for it.
Weapons screening, the order states, is intended to deter violence, prevent intimidation, and protect the orderly work of government.
For a Capitol shaped by ideals of access and trust, the scanners arriving this February will stand as quiet witnesses to a sobering reality that even in Minnesota, the architecture of democracy is being reshaped by fear, memory, and the cost of violence.
