The Minnesota House erupted after Democrats staged an overnight sit-in over a gun-control bill and a heated exchange left Rep. Aisha Gomez accused of telling a Republican colleague to “go f**king shoot himself,” prompting GOP leaders to demand her removal and public condemnation from Democratic officials.
The dispute centers on HF5140, a gun-control measure that would ban semiautomatic “assault weapons,” limit large-capacity magazines, and criminalize ghost guns. Democrats pushed for a vote even though the House is split 67-67 and the measure had no chance of winning. When the vote failed on party lines, Democratic lawmakers staged an overnight sit-in at the Capitol to force attention on the issue.
Video and contemporaneous reporting amplified the conflict, with political commentator Dustin Grage sharing footage and Republicans saying multiple colleagues confirmed Gomez’s remark. Those accounts say Gomez told Republican Rep. Nolan Engen to “go f**king shoot himself” on the House floor, a line that quickly became the focal point of criticism. Engen later confirmed the allegation himself, which intensified calls from GOP leaders for consequences.
The incident is especially sensitive because lawmakers had just heard testimony about a school shooting at Annunciation Catholic School last August, where a 23-year-old gunman opened fire, killing two students and wounding dozens. Republicans note that the timing made the alleged remark particularly jarring, coming immediately after hours of emotional debate and stories of loss. That context helped fuel the GOP response and the demand that Democrats condemn the behavior.
Democrats defending Gomez released a different account, saying she did not make a threat and instead told Engen, “Think about them, not yourself, how about that [expletive],” referring to the Annunciation victims. A closer-angle video released by DFL lawmakers does not capture the allegedly abusive line, and some reports say the footage may not show the full exchange. Republicans, however, have offered varying descriptions, with some witnesses transcribing “shoot himself” while others quoted, “go f**king kill himself.”
House Speaker Lisa Demuth and Majority Leader Harry Niska demanded that Gomez be stripped of her tax committee chairmanship and called on the governor and Democratic leadership to address the matter publicly. Demuth said bluntly, “This kind of behavior is unacceptable, and it makes every person in this place less safe.” Niska added that after recent tragedies in the state, such comments were “sickening” and “unconscionable and unacceptable.” Those statements pushed the story from a floor quarrel into a partisan standoff over accountability and decorum.
Republicans called the sit-in itself a political stunt, arguing Democrats knew the bill lacked the votes and staged the overnight protest for headlines instead of compromise. GOP lawmakers emphasized that the tied chamber meant no Republican was going to flip, so the overnight action was theater rather than a genuine legislative strategy. That interpretation colored the GOP reaction to the alleged remark, framing it as part of a broader pattern of performative politics.
Democrats countered that the sit-in was an effort to press for changes after a spate of gun violence and to keep the issue in public view. They pointed to the emotional weight of recent shootings and said lawmakers must grapple with public safety and gun policy. But the absence of a clear, unified Democratic response to the allegation against Gomez left room for critics to press their case and question leadership judgment.
The accusations and inconsistent witness accounts have left the situation unsettled, with no formal statement from Gomez in the immediate aftermath and party leaders on both sides trading blame. House Democratic leaders did not issue a public defense beyond the competing video and witness descriptions, and the governor remained silent amid mounting GOP calls for condemnation. That silence became another point of contention for Republicans demanding decisive action.
As the chamber continues to spar over policy and tone, the episode has exposed deep partisan divides and the challenge of maintaining decorum in a closely divided legislature. What began as a debate over HF5140 and measures targeting assault-style weapons and ghost guns has become a flashpoint about conduct, accountability, and how lawmakers handle tragedy and grief while arguing public policy. The fallout may shape committee assignments and legislative dynamics in the sessions to come.
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