Fear at the doorstep, resolve at the ballot

In a Minneapolis suburb still reeling from the assassination of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and, days later, the murder of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk at a college event in Utah, voters in Brooklyn Park will fill a vacant state House seat on Tuesday. Door knocking has been cautious and conversations hushed, a reflection of neighborhoods where residents are wary of opening up and candidates measure every visit against a backdrop of shaken public trust.

Two candidates, two remedies

Republican Ruth Bittner, a real estate agent, has leaned into a message of courage and continuity, arguing that civic engagement cannot retreat in the face of threats. Democrat Xp Lee, a former city council member, frames the moment as a mandate for tighter firearms restrictions, including bans on semiautomatic rifles and high capacity magazines, even as he acknowledges keeping a shotgun for home defense. Their split is the core of the race, a choice between cracking down on violent actors with stronger enforcement and deterrence or expanding prohibitions that would sweep in millions of law abiding owners.

Free speech is a target, public safety must be the shield

The killing of Kirk in a public forum, recorded and shared widely, sent a chill through the marketplace of ideas. Leaders across parties condemned the attack, and authorities say a suspect is in custody. That outrage must translate into policy that secures events, campuses and officials without shrinking speech or criminalizing dissent. The standard is simple, protect the podium and the front porch, protect the right to argue, and prosecute anyone who turns politics into blood sport.

Policy that works, not theater

Minnesota has endured a spree of brutality, from the home invasion that killed Hortman and her husband to the mass shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic church that left two students dead and many wounded. The impulse to ban broad classes of firearms is politically familiar, but it dodges first principles and hard facts. What would actually harden the targets and stop the killers is focused policing and prosecution of violent offenders, real penalties for straw purchasing and gun trafficking, threat assessment and mental health interventions that include due process, better data sharing, and security upgrades for schools and public venues. The goal is to incapacitate dangerous individuals quickly while safeguarding constitutional rights for everyone else.

A test for Minnesota and the nation

Brooklyn Park’s special election is a measure of whether voters reward policies that restore order and defend free expression, or settle for symbolism that leaves families just as exposed. Whatever the outcome, the path forward is clear. Condemn the violence without loopholes, turn down the political temperature, and put government to its proper work, securing the peace so free citizens can speak, worship and campaign without fear.