Klobuchar, Smith reflect on Annunciation Church shooting on Senate floor, urge reform of gun laws

WCCO-AM / 830 WCCO

The mass shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis has renewed calls for gun law reforms nationwide. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, D-Minn. delivered remarks honoring the victims and survivors.

Transcript

00:00As this tragedy at Annunciation Catholic Church makes clear, there is still so much more that

00:18must be done.

00:20We cannot rest when gun violence remains the leading cause of deaths of kids and teenagers.

00:27We cannot rest when there have been over 90 school shootings in this country in 2025 alone.

00:37Congress needs to act with the courage and urgency this moment demands and pass common

00:42sense gun violence prevention laws that will save lives.

00:46There are things we can do here.

00:48There are things that would make a difference and we all know that.

00:52It's just going to take the courage of those little sixth graders that laid on top of first

00:58graders or the teacher that took the kid with disabilities out of the wheelchair and laid

01:03on top of them.

01:05That's real courage.

01:06We just have to have a little political courage to get this done.

01:10So let's honor the lives of these precious kids we lost by taking action to stop senseless

01:17acts of gun violence.

01:19By praying, yes, but also praying for action.

01:24Senator from Minnesota.

01:28So here we are.

01:31Incredible bravery from these kiddos and their families.

01:34heroic efforts of the teachers and first responders and law enforcement and also of the doctors

01:40and nurses in the emergency rooms who saved their lives.

01:44And we have all of these feelings of grief, of rage, of frustration, I think even confusion.

01:52You know, these school shootings are searingly personal to people.

01:58And also they're often so public and they are not uncommon.

02:04We are, you know, thrust into this tragic cycle of collective grief and frustration and anger

02:10and our hearts are broken for the families and the loved ones whose lives and sense of

02:17security and safety have been stolen and our voices call out for change to end the scourge

02:23of gun violence.

02:24And our anger and frustration grows when people feel like their voices are being ignored.

02:30And I'm, I'm angry because we keep choosing to protect the interests of this big gun lobby

02:39rather than the lives of our little babies.

02:42And we can do better than this.

02:44You know, only in this country do we see this toxic mix of hatred and guns cost so many lives.

02:53I have been in the Senate now for nearly eight years and I'm a realist.

02:58And I know how this goes.

03:01The hopes and the prayers and then the moving on.

03:06And I know how this goes.

03:09But I'm also an optimist.

03:12And I believe that if we don't try nothing will ever change.

03:16And so I ask this body to listen to the words of people, not political people, who are pleading

03:23for change, who are asking us to pray by moving our feet and to take action.

03:29We know there is no one answer to this terrible scourge of gun violence that is killing our

03:35children.

03:36There is no one thing that we can do to change the shameful statistic that the number one

03:42cause of death for children in this country are firearms.

03:46But because there's no one answer doesn't mean that we shouldn't try.

03:50We have to try.

03:53And so to any Minnesota children, especially those who go to Annunciation School that are

03:58listening right now, I just want to say to you this.

04:02Your community loves you.

04:04Your family loves you.

04:06And we're going to do everything we can to keep you safe.

04:09I am in awe of your resilience.

04:11But you should never have to go through what you've been through this last week.

04:17I am so sorry that the adults have not done enough to keep you safe.

04:22And we need to do better.

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