Democratic leaders are calling for the U.S. Congress to do more to tackle school shootings after two children were killed in Minnesota.
Police have identified Robin Westman, 23, as the shooter who opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis at about 8.30 a.m. on Wednesday. Two children aged 8 and 10 have been confirmed as dead, with a further 14 children injured alongside three adult parishioners.
Senior Democrats have condemned the shooting and pushed Congress to introduce gun safety reforms, arguing thoughts and prayers as “not enough” to end the “carnage”.
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Senator Elizabeth Warren was among those to call on lawmakers to enact change in the wake of the tragedy. Posting on X she wrote: “Back to school should not mean back to school shootings.
“Congress must end this carnage. Thoughts and prayers are not enough to prevent gun violence.”
In the hours following the attack, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi labelled gun violence an “epidemic” that “demands we take action “.
“An act of unspeakable gun violence that stole two precious children, just 8 and 10 years old, from their families and injured so many more at a Minneapolis school demands that we take action,” she wrote on X.
“We cannot allow children to live in fear of learning, worshiping or simply being kids. Gun violence is an epidemic in America, and we must do everything in our power to end it.”
They were joined by Senator Mazie Horono, who also posted on the platform calling for reform, adding that “children should not have to live in fear”.
“My heart goes out to the victims at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis and all those impacted by this horrific crime,” she wrote. “Children should not have to live in fear. We need gun safety reform NOW.”
The tragedy is the 44th school shooting in the U.S. this year, according to CNN. The incidents left 18 people dead and at least 74 other victims injured. CNN analysis also shows the Annunciation Catholic School attack was the fourth deadly shooting in Minneapolis in less than 24 hours.
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar said the horror incident should be a moment that moves the country to make changes in the law.
“These kids praying in a church, packed into the pews, joyful about their first week in school, their new teacher, and then getting shot through church windows,” she told CNN. “If that isn’t enough to move people that we have to make some changes in this country, I don’t know what is,” she said.
Fellow Minnesota Senator Tina Smith posted a video on social media speaking of her “heartbreak” after the shooting and paying tribute to the community in Minneapolis.
“It is a terrible thing and it doesn’t have to be this way,” she said of the shooting. “We have to recommit ourselves to building the kind of community we want to live in, where little kids can go to school without having to be fearful of something terrible like this.”
