Gun control in Minneapolis

I took this picture at the Annunciation vigil noticing the cross towering above the crowd. Yet looking again, I see a second. One for Harper. One for Fletcher. Jesus hold them close.

It’s been a dissonant month while we still reel from the Annunciation school shooting. As a former teacher, I am grateful for all our Minneapolis educators who are beginning this school year in uncertain times. Your efforts matter. Like everyone, I continue to grieve and pray for the Annunciation community, and for the families affected by last week’s terrible violence. I appreciate and applaud the Mayor’s efforts to bring sanity and gun reform to the national stage.  

Beginning with the killings of the Hortmans and the wounding of the Hoffmans, we have had more than our fair share of pain this summer, and the waves seem to keep coming… washing over our neighborhoods, communities, families, streets. At such times, it’s natural to question whether our dialogue and relationships are becoming deeper, more real, more truthful? Pain and difficulty either draw people closer together or create distance. The crowds I’ve seen gather to memorialize the victims, offer support, and advocate for change tell me this community is pulling together, and I’m committed to doing my part as well.

What can we do about this scourge of gun violence? The truth is, we know. Do tragedies like this happen in other countries? Yes, but the scope and frequency of the problem here is uniquely American. In the face of such events, many countries have responded by passing common-sense gun reforms – the U.K. and Australia are good examples. Gun violence dropped dramatically and children have been better protected. Iceland has a long standing, well-developed gun culture, but it’s also the safest country in the world. We can take similar steps here any time we want, but it’s only going to happen if we all work together, across boundaries – political, social, geographic, and otherwise – to ensure that the safety of our children comes first.

So, yes, I support the mayor’s call for action, and I applaud the governor and the legislature for considering steps they might take. Leadership matters, but we all have a role to play. During my time on the Park Board, I’ve worked to be collaborative and respectful, and to bridge divides between political views, jurisdictional boundaries, and any other barriers that might stand in the way of effective solutions.

I hope to take the same approach on the city council, and I remain confident that when we work together, collectively, we can find common sense solutions that work for us all, even when the problems are hard.