Readers Write: Annunciation Church shooting

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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This week, an image from Minneapolis stopped many of us in our tracks: a mother running barefoot toward her child’s school, shoes in hand, fear in her heart. It was not just one woman’s desperate sprint — it was every parent’s nightmare, every community’s grief and every human heart breaking at once.

We may not know her name, but we know her soul. Because every parent has imagined that run, whispered that prayer: Please, not my baby.

We should not have to live this way. Not in our neighborhoods. Not in our schools. Not in the country that promises life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for our children. And yet, here we are — another day, another headline, another mother forced to run toward the unthinkable.

This is not a partisan issue. This is a human one. Children deserve to feel safe in their classrooms. Parents deserve to know their children will come home. Communities deserve to gather without fear.

The time for thoughts and prayers alone has long passed. What we need is courage — the courage of lawmakers to enact common-sense gun safety measures, the courage of communities to come together and demand better, and the courage of each of us to refuse to accept that this is normal.

Jane White Schneeweis, Mahtomedi

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I am 88 years of age and have never owned nor even shot a firearm. The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution means little to me; if repealing it would end these tragedies, or bring back the lives of the 8- and 10-year-old children lost in the Annunciation Church shooting, I would say, “Have at it.” But guns are not the sole cause of these tragedies as some like to tell us. Sadly, politicians and their champions, on both sides of the political spectrum, use tragedies like this to promote their individual agendas and ambitions.

From the left we are told that guns and advocates of the Second Amendment are the reason for these mass shootings. One writer tells us the problem is President Donald Trump and his “supporters” in the DOJ or members of the Supreme Court. It’s the GOP/MAGA that has not taken “concrete action” (“Beyond ‘thoughts and prayers’ what are we doing about the gun violence epidemic? Not much”). Those on the opposite side of the political spectrum are no better, focusing attention on the shooter being trans. In doing so, they also are closing their eyes to the real problem. [Opinion editor’s note: While the suspected shooter’s name was legally changed in 2020 to Robin Westman, with court records showing Westman’s mother sought the change because her child “identifies as a female,” it’s unclear what gender Westman identified with recently.]

What is needed is more aggressive identification of people suffering from mental illness, and demanding that they get the treatment they need. There were many signs that this shooter needed help. Her suicide note said, “I’m tired of the pain this world gives out.” Should not this explain all we need to know about how she was failed by those who should have been there for her. But alas, helping people like this is not high on the “to-do list” of many of today’s politicians or those who support them.

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As a Minnesota House staffer, it was personal. As an Annunciation alum, it violated the sanctity of my youth. As a human being, it was tragic beyond words. As an American, it is the latest case of thoughts and prayers.

From Sandy Hook to Parkland, and from the Hortmans to Annunciation, the common denominator is guns. These tragedies wouldn’t have occurred with knives or swords. The best time to discuss and act on gun violence prevention legislation was yesterday, but the next best time is today. If thoughts and prayers were as effective as gun safety laws, then our country would be the safest in the world. Unfortunately, the death count of innocent children says otherwise.

Matthew Baumann, Minneapolis

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One minute MSNBC is reporting the story from Minneapolis, and the next moment it is running an ad promoting something very dark and violent to entertain us. So duh. But media will not point a finger at itself, just like gun enthusiasts and the gun industry will not point a finger at themselves. Social media, of course, is culpable, but first comes a childhood home, and second comes whatever/whoever gets hold of our heads next. There is no mystery here.

Diane Adair, St. Louis Park

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It’s not about the ideology.

It’s not about mental health.

It’s not about social media.

It’s not about the pronouns.

It’s not about left or right.

It’s not about freedom.

It’s about the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in this country.

It’s about the guns.

John Neerland, Minneapolis

The writer is an Annunciation alum.

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For about 25 years, I worked on the campus of HCMC, mostly in support of medical researchers. In the process I met numerous physicians and other health care professionals. What struck me most about them was that, of all the career choices they could have made, they made the choice that they did, consequently dealing with challenges they might not have faced elsewhere, all the while doing their work without compromising their commitment to excellent patient care. In response to Wednesday’s horrific mass shooting (“Within minutes, hospitals were prepared for the worst,” Aug. 28), they again demonstrated the value they deliver, not just when major trauma events occur, but every day.

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What can people do to help after mass shooting? Donate blood to replace the 252 units of blood, platelets and plasma rushed to Hennepin Healthcare. How?

Call Memorial Blood Centers, (651) 332-7150, or American Red Cross, (612) 871-7676, and they will tell you the location closest to you, restrictions and length of time to donate. All types are needed. Whole, platelet, plasma and double red cell donation requirements differ. Donor age is 16, and there’s no end-age limit. Type O negative is universal, so any blood type can receive that, but all types are needed. There are some restrictions depending on your medical history.

It is totally painless and the employees are amazing. You get to watch a TV show or movie of your choice. They bring water and cookies. As an experienced 89-year-old, I can say donating 43 gallons is the most rewarding thing I’ve done. I donated platelets by apheresis, so you get your plasma returned after the platelets are removed, and feel better leaving than you did when you arrived.

Do your part. Thank them for saving lives after a mass shooting. You’ll feel better. Guaranteed.

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A boy identified only as Victor laid on top of 10-year-old Weston Halsne during the Annunciation shooting. Victor was shot protecting his friend. That also means Victor has done more to protect a child during a school shooting than all of the members of Congress elected in the last 30 years.