Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says he wants to “strike a proper balance” of keeping the State Capitol open to the public while also ensuring it’s secure.
Some lawmakers have said they want Capitol security tightened after the assassination of Rep. Melissa Hortman last month. She was shot and killed in her own home alongside her husband, Mark. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also attacked but survived.
Walz told the Minnesota Star Tribune in an interview Monday that legislators are “rightfully concerned” with security issues in general, and at the Capitol specifically, which has no metal detectors at public entrances.
“We have to assess it and you have to strike that proper balance,” Walz said. “The one thing is I always worried you make this a ... fortress or whatever, and you discourage the public from coming in. I’m trying to figure that out.”
Walz also spoke about other pressing issues, such as access to guns after the shooting, how his administration plans to respond to President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill, and more.
On the recovery of Sen. John Hoffman and his spouse
Walz said he saw Hoffman and his wife last month just before the funeral for the Hortmans.
“He had a reputation of being tough here and all that, but I’m like, ‘My God, man, you were shot nine times.’ And he sat in there joking and talking,” Walz said.
“So far he’s recovering,” Walz added. “I think it sounds like his prognosis for pretty much a full recovery is really good.”