Minnesota is one of about 10 states that don’t require security screening, like metal detectors or X-ray machines, for visitors entering their capitols, said Tim Storey, CEO of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Some of the other holdouts are Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Nebraska, Idaho, Montana and Washington.
Many states that boosted security have done so since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Storey said. But officials across the country struggled with those decisions, he said, “Because, hey, we want this to be a welcoming place.”
Minnesota still struggles with that tension.
A fence went up around the State Capitol in the aftermath of civil unrest over George Floyd’s killing. (Glen Stubbe/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Paul Soper, a senior lecturer in the University of Minnesota’s political science department, said that’s not entirely surprising.
