Friends and neighbors,

The recent tragedy at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis weighs heavily on all of us. Two children were killed, nearly two dozen were wounded, and families and communities have been left grieving. I continue to pray for the victims and their loved ones.

In the days since, I’ve shared my thoughts about preventing violence in a video message and I also testified before the Senate’s Gun Violence Prevention Working Group. Unfortunately, my testimony was cut short by the working group chairman, who didn’t want to hear a perspective that challenges the usual Democrat talking points. But if we are going to be serious about keeping children safe, we need to be honest about the root causes of violence and be willing to look at real solutions.

That means addressing school safety and focusing additional resources for mental health treatment and support. It also means recognizing that gun-free zones are a significant vulnerability because they are easy targets for people who want to do harm, and it means making sure schools have the security and safety upgrades they need.

In addition, the Democrats passed gender affirming care on minors which includes mutilating surgery, crosssex hormones, and puberty blockers. I believe that gender affirming care laws which were passed by Governor Walz and the Democrats is child abuse, and all gender affirming care laws in Minnesota need to be repealed. We also need to stop teaching the transgender perversion to minor children in our public schools! The Democrats have pushed the transgender ideology in our schools which has potential to confuse and exploit minor children.

Another critical piece of this is transparency, which is why I co-signed a letter with several of my House and Senate colleagues asking the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to release the complete autopsy and toxicology report on the transgender Annunciation shooter. A judge has already sealed certain information related to the Annunciation shooter, including the parents’ divorce case. Asking for the autopsy and toxicology reports sends a clear signal that those records should not be sealed.

The public has a right to know the full picture of what substances, legal or illegal, may have played a role in this horrific act. Just as we check if a driver in a fatal crash was impaired, we need to know what might have influenced the shooter’s state of mind. This, I hope, is common sense.

The Annunciation shooting was a tragedy, and it demands more than political theater. We need real solutions that will actually protect our kids and address the real causes of violence.

God Bless,