Jacob Frey clasped his hands together as he sat on the steps of the Catholic church where hours earlier a shooter opened fire on young children gathered in the pews inside.
“Don’t just say, this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying,” the Minneapolis mayor said at a press conference on the scene on Wednesday. “They should be able to go to school or church in peace without the fear or risk of violence, and their parents should have the same kind of assurance.”
“These are the sort of basic assurances that every family should have, every step of the day, regardless of where they are in our country,” he added.
Frey’s plea was echoed by several Democratic leaders in Minnesota who renewed calls to address gun violence in the wake of the shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School. They argued the horrific scene – a shooter opening fire through a stained glass window as students celebrated their first week of school with worship – should prompt people to demand action.
“It’s my strongest desire that no state, no community, no school, ever experiences a day like this,” said Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. “Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, but also keep us in the thoughts for action. Keep us in the ideas that we can work together.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz gives an update on the deadly shooting in Minneapolis, on Wednesday. – WCCO
Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minneapolis accused elected leaders of being “more concerned with appeasing the gun lobby than keeping our children safe.”
And Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar told CNN’s Dana Bash, “If a bunch of kids praying in church and shot down through the windows of that church and and locked into that by a madman isn’t enough to make people move, I just don’t know what is anymore.”
But their calls for greater action may soon meet political reality. In the immediate aftermath of Wednesday’s shooting, Republican leaders in Congress have shown no signs of opening a push for new gun measures next week when lawmakers return from their August recess.
“Our prayers are with the victims, their families, and first responders on the scene,” Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer, who serves as majority whip in the US House, wrote on X.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said the country was “heartbroken over the tragic violence,” adding, “Our prayers are with the children, families, civilians, law enforcement, and all those impacted by this evil attack.”
Congress last passed gun safety legislation in 2022 following the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The bipartisan gun safety law, which surged millions of dollars to mental health and school safety programs and changed the process for when individuals ages 18 to 21 go to purchase a firearm, was the first meaningful gun measure enacted in decades.
A parent hugs her son after an active shooter situation at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis, Minn., Wednesday, Aug. 27, 2025. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP) – Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP
While the investigation into the shooting remains underway, law enforcement officials said the 23-year-old shooter legally purchased the weapons used in the attack, which included a rifle, shotgun and pistol. The shooter killed two children, ages 8 and 10. Fourteen students, all between the ages of six and 15, and three adults were injured.
Klobuchar said lawmakers could do more to strengthen background checks and address assault weapons, but she also acknowledged any legislative pushes would require additional buy-in.
The US House last voted to ban assault-style weapons in 2022, when the chamber was controlled by Democrats, even though the bill would not clear a Republican filibuster in the Senate.
“There’s one thing we can do to make this better and stop the angry rhetoric. Start working on solutions that we know have worked in other countries or could work here and it’s not just one size fits all,” Klobuchar said. “But we’ve got to be willing to do it, and especially my colleagues who’ve been afraid to do it.”
Another deadly shooting in the state
The church and school shooting bookended a summer of tragedy in Minnesota.
Two months earlier, former state Rep. Melissa Hortman was assassinated at her home along with her husband. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were targeted in a shooting that same night but survived.
The acts of political violence sent shockwaves through Minnesota and its political community. Walz, who eulogized Hortman at her funeral and served as a pallbearer, seemed to reference the June shooting when he spoke at a press conference in Minneapolis on Wednesday.
“There’s a lot of cameras here and unfortunately we’ve been through these types of things,” he said. “They will be gone some point, but what happened here today will not be gone. Minnesotans will not step away. We’ll stand with this community.”
The Hortmans’ family said Wednesday the Catholic school shooting was a “senseless act of violence” and called on elected officials to act on “common-sense measures.”
“Mark and Melissa believed that children should be able to gather in schools safely, that communities should be able to worship in peace, and that families should be safe in their homes,” the family said in a statement. “We hope this tragedy spurs elected officials to take action towards common-sense measures on access to high-powered weapons so that no one else must suffer.”
The June attacks were top of mind for Democrats this week, when the national party gathered in Minneapolis for its summer meeting. During the meeting’s opening session, Walz, Klobuchar, DNC chair Ken Martin and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison all reflected on Hortman’s legacy.
“We have not moved on from it,” Walz told Democrats Monday. “We are forever changed by it. But we are a hearty people … and we’ve seen these things happen. But I think the thing I’m most proud of is that legacy that Melissa Hortman leaves was one about improving lives.”
Shortly after Frey addressed a DNC committee Wednesday morning, Martin announced that the shooting had occurred and urged anyone with medical training to help if they could.
The meeting’s closing session, which was scheduled to last three hours, ended after less than 12 minutes. Martin, a native of Minnesota, began the shortened session by saying Democrats were heartbroken.
“This is a tragic day for our city, and a tragic day for Minnesotans, on the heels of a tragic year, where we already lost our friends Melissa and Mark Hortman, and it’s unacceptable,” Martin said. “It’s just far too common place. Folks, we need your prayers, we need your faith, and we need leadership to stop this evil.”
After a short prayer, the committee voted to unanimously approve the reports from all committees and adjourn early.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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