Elected officials, gun safety advocates, and more gathered Thursday at the Minneapolis City Hall, calling for firearms reform in the wake of a mass shooting Wednesday at Annunciation Church and School in South Minneapolis.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey made an explicit call for state and federal bans on assault weapons, and a ban on high-capacity magazines.
"There is no reason somebody should be able to reel off 30 rounds before they even have to reload," Mayor Frey said.
The shooter, Robin Westman, was armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol and died by suicide, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. Two children, ages 8 and 10, died in the shooting. City officials on Thursday increased to 15 the number of wounded children — ages 6 to 15 — in addition to three parishioners in their 80s who were also injured. Most were expected to survive, O’Hara said.
O’Hara says Robin Westman fired dozens of rounds at the students during Mass on Wednesday morning. Westman used an AR-15 rifle, which is legally classified as a "semi-automatic military style assault weapon" under Minnesota state statutes. Westman also had a pistol and a shotgun, according to O'Hara. Videos posted by Westman also show several high-capacity magazines, some of them capable of holding up to 60 rounds of ammunition.
Frey was surrounded by state and federal lawmakers, Minneapolis and St. Paul council members and gun control activists. He said even if state and federal officials "can't or won't do it," Minneapolis should do it themselves.
"I think we'd be happy to ban assault rifles here in Minneapolis," said Frey.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (DFL) says it shouldn't be hard to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition.
Speaking to WCCO's Chad Hartman on Thursday, Minnesota U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (DFL) says guns are definitely part of the problem - but only part of the problem.
"Yes, it's the guns," she said. "And yes, we have a mental health crisis in this country. And personally, I also think you can sort of draw that line between the rise of social media and the rise of mental health challenges with the nation's youth."
Minnesota State Rep. Emma Greenman said Washington needs to step up and help solve the gun issue along with the city and state.
"We said it was unimaginable, but now it is imaginable because we keep letting it happen," Rep. Greenman said, adding that red flag laws and other gun control measures have been proven to work when they're implemented. "We have been working hard to get this done and there's more work to do. We need everybody to demand this. No longer can any elected official say we will not take care of the guns that are killing our kids."
Leah Kondes of Moms Demand Action Minneapolis also called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. She says it's up to Minneapolis to lead the effort.
"Our kids cannot wait any longer," Kondes said.
"Every child deserves to feel and be safe," Frey added. "Every family deserves peace of mind. In Minneapolis, we’re demanding stronger gun laws — and we won’t settle for less."
FBI Director Kash Patel also provided more information about Westman on Thursday, calling it a "barbaric attack."
"This was an act of domestic terrorism motivated by a hate-filled ideology," Patel wrote on social media.
Patel says that Westman left multiple anti-Catholic, anti-religious references both in his manifesto and written on his firearms, expressed hatred and violence toward Jewish people, writing “Israel must fall,” “Free Palestine,” and using explicit language related to the Holocaust. Patel also said Westman wrote a an explicit call for violence against President Trump on a firearm magazine.