Friends and neighbors,
I am heartbroken and outraged by the tragic shooting in Minneapolis. Violence of this kind especially in our schools and churches shakes us to the core. My prayers are with the victims, their families, and the entire community as they navigate this unimaginable loss.
Let me be clear: this was pure evil. No law-abiding citizen, parent, or child should ever have to fear for their safety in a place of worship or learning.
Every time a tragedy like this occurs there are those who will rush to politicize it. As a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, I also know this truth: our constitutional rights are not to blame for the actions of a violent criminal, nor should we attack our constitutional rights to attempt to heal our heartbreak. Law-abiding gun owners are not to blame.
Instead, we must address the deeper issues that are the root cause of these shootings: mental health, the breakdown of families, a violent culture, and failures in enforcing the laws we already have. In the case of the Annunciation shooter, it is clear from the manifesto that this person was deeply mentally unwell.
There are things we can and should do to improve school safety so that these tragedies stop. For example, in the 2023 Judiciary bill, Senate Republicans attempted to provided funding for a school safety center at DPS to help schools evaluate their buildings for security. It passed the Senate but the conference committee removed it from the final bill. Over the years, Republicans have pushed for school safety assistance to help schools evaluate their needs and improve their security.
We should have done these things already, but now they should be high priorities when we return in 2026.
There will be discussions about what to do next, but we should focus on mental health, strengthening families, and enforcing our current laws first and foremost.
Sincerely,
Photo credit: NYT