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A memorial outside the Minnesota House chamber is one of several on the Capitol grounds where mourners have left hundreds of flowers and sticky notes honoring the late DFL Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, who were killed more than a week ago by a gunman in their Brooklyn Park home.
Anyone can come into the Capitol and pay tribute to the Hortmans. Public access to the building is extensive and has long been a point of pride for advocates of open government. But in the wake of the Hortman murders and the shooting of fellow Democrat, Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, state lawmakers are trying to address their safety.
“I think we would be not honest if we didn't recognize the fear that's embedded in this,” Democratic Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy told MPR News. “It will alter the way we interact, and we have to be careful not to go so far that we fence off the voice of people in our democracy.”
There are no metal detectors at the Capitol’s entrances and enhancing security can be expensive, restrictive and it’s not foolproof. Gov. Tim Walz said last week lawmakers should consider prohibiting people from carrying firearms at the State Capitol.
Even if security was enhanced at the capitol, that wouldn’t have been enough to protect the Hortmans who were killed in their home.
Law enforcement found a list of lawmakers and their addresses in the alleged killer’s vehicle. Following the shooting, Minnesota’s Secretary of State removed lawmakers’ home addresses from state databases.
“We need to be allowed to have a personal life and a home and have our own spaces,” said Sen. Aric Putnam, DFL-St. Cloud. “I think that as legislators, it should be our choice how much of that we give up.”
In Minnesota state law allows legislators to tap their campaign accounts for personal or home security. But there are limits on how much they can be reimbursed.
While lawmakers grapple with how best to protect themselves, they also worry about the chilling effect the shootings could have on convincing others to run for office.
At a candlelight vigil for the Hortmans at the state Capitol Wednesday evening, teacher Erin Preese said she’s not sure if she’ll run for office again.
Preese ran unsuccessfully for a House seat a couple of times and knew the Hortmans.
“I ran because of the things that Melissa [Hortman] was fighting for, gun violence prevention, education for all, paid family leave, those things are really important to me, and she really moved the needle on that,” Preese said. “So maybe. But it’s also a huge consideration about safety and my family’s safety moving forward too.”
There were no political signs at the vigil and no speakers either. It was a time for a House equally split between parties to come together to honor a colleague. It also comes following a call from the top Republican in the Legislature to ratchet back the partisanship.
Minnesota’s Republican Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth worked closely with Melissa Hortman.
“We could disagree on things but we didn’t have to be cruel to each other in the process and that’s in the public or in private,” Demuth said in an interview with MPR News two days after Hortman’s murder. “I think that is an example that can lead going forward in the next days and months.”
Still, the killings have trampled lawmakers’ sense of safety and addressing security is paramount. Last week someone broke into the Hortman’s home — the crime scene — and police are investigating.
MPR Correspondent Kirsti Mahron contributed to this report.
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