ST. PAUL — House Speaker Paul Thissen said the Minnesota House will not vote on any gun control bills this year.

Thissen said Wednesday he decided to yank any gun bills from consideration this year because he doesn’t believe there’s the votes to pass them in the House. The Minneapolis Democrat says he’s encouraging gun control supporters to keep working on proposals with an eye on next year’s session.

Some Democrats came to the Capitol in January pushing expanded background checks and other gun regulations. But they faced intense opposition from gun rights groups and had trouble winning support from Democrats in rural districts.