Following Wednesday’s deadly shooting at a Minneapolis school, Democratic lawmakers, including the two top congressional Democrats, have called for gun control.
“I am horrified by the shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis and am closely monitoring the situation. “I’m grateful to the first responders on the scene,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on X. “Students and teachers should not risk their lives simply by returning to school. “We must do more to end gun violence in America.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., described the shooting as “horrifying.”
“Praying for the children, families and first responders during this moment of terror and unimaginable grief,” according to Jeffries. “Weapons of war have no place in our neighborhoods, streets or schools.”
Similarly, Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., wrote on social media that he was “horrified” by the shooting, followed by a call for stricter gun laws in the United States.
“These events should not be considered ‘normal.’ The simple solution is to enact sensible gun laws. Without that, these tragedies will continue to occur, and children will die,” Thanedar stated.
The Richfield Police Department reported that up to 20 people were shot. During a press conference, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara revealed that the shooting killed two children, ages 8 and 10. He stated that their parents were notified of the tragic news.
The Minneapolis Police Department shared a message from the city of Minneapolis, confirming that “there is no active threat to the community at this time,” and that “the shooter is contained.” According to Fox 9 sources, the suspect, who has not been publicly identified, has died.
Meanwhile, Minnesota lawmakers from both sides of the aisle prayed for the victims and their families.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the highest-ranking Minnesotan in Congress, said in a statement: “We are monitoring reports of a shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. We are praying for the victims, their families, and the first responders on the scene.”
Minnesota Democratic Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar both thanked law enforcement and first responders, but made no mention of a push for gun control.
“It’s the first week of school,” Smith announced on X. “These kids should not be fearing for their lives.”
However, Klobuchar later stated in an interview with CNN that in other mass shootings, families, communities, and the country must “grapple with the fact that we have too many guns out there right now.”
“We’ve done these things, but there’s much bigger things we could do when it comes to background checks and assault weapons, and having more national standards in place, and being stricter about getting these guns out there,” she went on. “And if a bunch of kids praying in a church and shot down through the windows of that church and locked into that by a mad man, isn’t enough to make people move, I just don’t know what is.”
