I want you to imagine that feeling you felt during the first week of school. Were you nervous? Excited? Scared? All of the above? When you finally show up at school, you see all your friends and teachers excited to see you again. However, as you go throughout your day, this feeling of excitement would slowly fade away within the blink of an eye as gunshots would begin to fire into your school. This same scenario that I just described is exactly what happened at Annunciation Catholic School in Minnesota.

Necessary Context

On August 27, 2025, the students of Annunciation Catholic School were all gathering for an all-school Mass when 23-year-old Robin Westman shot several rounds of bullets through the windows of the school. According to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, Westman was armed with various weapons, ranging from a rifle to a shotgun. The police recovered 116 rifle rounds and three shotgun shells from the scene. In addition, they also found a “live round in the handgun found at the scene that appeared to have jammed when the shooter attempted to use it.” Westman committed suicide before the police and other first responders arrived.

Sadly, eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and ten-year-old Harper Moyski were killed during the shooting. In addition, there were a total of 17 other individuals (including 14 children) who were injured during this attack. Thankfully, the Minneapolis police reported that “all 17 people who were hospitalized after [the shooting] are expected to survive.” Police officials have noted that the policy of locking the doors once Mass begins likely prevented additional people from being harmed. Currently, there is no set date for Annunciation Catholic School to return to school, as families and teachers are still recovering from this tragic event. 

Robin Westman’s Background Highlights

Here are some things that people need to know about Robin Westman: 

1. Identified as a transgender woman 
2. Westman disdained his trans identity, as well as those who supported it.
3. Former student at Annunciation Catholic School
4. No criminal history
5. Obsessed with the idea of killing children
6. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota believes that Westman wanted to “commit this act with the intention of causing as much terror for [his] own personal notoriety.”
7. Two videos were posted on YouTube that the police believe Westman posted onto the platform. In the videos, Westman is showing his various weapons with writing on them, such as “kill Donald Trump.” In addition, there was also a “four-page manifesto addressed to Westman’s family and friends.”  YouTube has removed these videos.

Words Alone Won’t Protect Children

Minneapolis’s mayor, Jacob Frey, said it best in the wake of this situation: “Don’t just say this is about thoughts and prayers right now. These kids were literally praying! It was the first week of school. They should be able to go to school or church in peace, without the fear or risk of violence.” As a Christian myself, I do believe in the power of prayer. Prayer provides comfort not only to ourselves but also to others as well. However, the overuse of the phrase “thoughts and prayers” has diminished its meaning. 

While those in mourning can appreciate sympathy, government officials and policy are what actually allow us to see progress in hopefully fixing this issue. We live in a country where we cannot agree that we need to create legislation that can hopefully prevent these shootings from happening. The Charleston loophole allows gun owners to move with their purchases after three days, even if a background check has not been completed on them. As a result of this loophole, this would have led to the shooting that occurred in Charleston, South Carolina, which resulted in nine African Americans being killed at Mother Emanuel AME Church. 

While I understand that laws are going to have their loopholes, it does not mean that we can not at least try to get the ball rolling and adjust from there as needed, such as ensuring that a detailed background check is conducted on the potential gun owner. In addition, we need to ensure that ALL states are conducting universal background checks, and the National Institute of Health found that having a universal background check and a permit-to-purchase requirement law “is an effective strategy for firearm-related fatality reduction.” 

When is Enough Finally Enough?

Sadly, the school shooting that took place at Annunciation Catholic School is not the first time that we have seen this kind of event. From Sandy Hook to Ulvade, we are seeing what can happen when a gun is placed into the wrong hands. To be very clear, I support the 2nd Amendment. But, I also realize that our laws need to be stricter when it comes to distributing firearms. Expanding universal background checks to every state, closing the Charleston loophole and requiring a detailed background check on potential buyers are reasonable policies that can save children’s lives while still protecting people’s 2nd Amendment rights. 

Remember, a gun is not just a toy, and it should be regarded with great care. How many more school shootings will it take for local and government officials to realize that this should not be normal? How many more premature deaths will it take for people to take action in the fight to protect the future of America? We can not just let this story pass over.

If people can not answer these questions that I proposed, then we have a lot more work to do. However, we need to take action as soon as possible because time is not slowing down for anyone. 

Acknowledgment: The ideas expressed in this article are those of the individual author.