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Carla Maldonado broke down in tears and her voice quivered Monday as she recalled the day last month that she and her husband heard gunshots.

They’d taken their two children to Annunciation Catholic Church and School earlier that morning, just a couple of blocks from their south Minneapolis home. When it dawned on them that bullets could be flying at their children, the couple ran to find them.

“My mind was flooded with images of my children shot and lying dead in their own pool of blood. I experienced a level of fear and horror I never knew existed,” Maldonado said.

Maldonado recounted the horror of that day before a Senate working group on gun violence prevention. She and several other family members of children who survived the shooting implored state lawmakers to pass legislation that would place new restrictions on firearms and potentially prevent future shootings.

“There’s one thing that kept more kids from dying on August 27 and it wasn’t a law or a policy. It was church pews,” Maldonado said. “This is not safety for our children. This is not protection for our communities. This is survival by chance, and our children deserve better than this.”

As she and other family members and medical professionals who had treated children injured in the shooting came before the panel for its first public hearing, members of the audience cried aloud. Faith leaders and local government officials also spoke in support of proposals to ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines, add new firearm storage requirements and require safety trying to buy a firearm. 

In their own testimony, gun rights advocates opposed the firearms proposals and instead urged a focus on availability of mental health treatment.

The proposals are among a broad set up for debate at the Capitol in the wake of the shooting. They could come up as part of a special legislative session. Malia Kimbrell’s daughter Vivian St. Clair was injured in the shooting and still requires care as she heals.

“Her bullet wounds will eventually become scars, but the shrapnel embedded inside her will stay with her forever, and the same is true for the emotional trauma she suffered,” Kimbrell said. 

She said lawmakers should act to ban assault-style weapons to prevent similar, deadly shootings.

“If you think it won't hit your community and someone you love, think again. It is up to our lawmakers to decide what type of weapon the next mass shooter is armed with,” Kimbrell said. “You have that power, and with power comes responsibility. You have a responsibility to keep our kids as safe as possible.”

As they convened the meeting, lawmakers on the panel acknowledged that Minnesota is facing a difficult moment after grappling with the mass shooting and the assassination of House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in June.

“I don't think any of us wanted to be here. We're here because of another firearm tragedy in Minnesota. It's been a tough summer for Minnesotans,” Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, said. 

Republican Sen. Jeff Howe of Rockville said his son had lived through a mass shooting at Rocori High School in 2003 and helped lock down his classroom at the time. He said lawmakers should consider hardening school buildings against attacks and focus on boosting mental health access.

“I think we're all here wanting the same thing. We want to protect each other,” he said. “We just need to figure out what that looks like in a collaborative effort to get there.”

Sen. Eric Lucero, R-St. Michael, agreed that the mindset of those who commit violent acts should be what lawmakers home in on.

“Evil must be confronted. Evil must be stopped. We must return to valuing life. No child should have to endure the violence that they did here or anywhere,” Lucero said. “No parent should have to endure fear and live with fear for their child's safety.”

With the Legislature narrowly divided, proposals will need bipartisan backing to advance. That means that measures calling for firearm restrictions or lifting a preemption on local governments to set their own limits on weapons could have a difficult path forward. 

Despite that, DFLers on the committee said they hope to bring the bills to a vote to put lawmakers on the record. Gov. Tim Walz has said he plans to call legislators back for a special legislative session on guns measures whether or not he can reach a framework with legislative leaders.

“This is not a political football. This is not a political issue. This is a health crisis. This is an epidemic in our nation, in our society,” Sen. Bonnie Westlin, DFL-Plymouth, said. “And the question is, ‘Will we meet this moment this time?’”

The working group can’t take official actions such as advancing legislation because the Legislature isn’t in session. But testimony and lawmaker discussion about the proposals could shape what moves forward in a special session or during the 2026 regular session, which begins in February. The panel is set to meet again Wednesday to weigh which bills might pick up bipartisan support.

Also on the list of proposals are bills for additional funding for the Minnesota violence prevention project research center, creating a new office under the Minnesota Department of Health dedicated to preventing gun violence and banning so-called ghost guns and bump stocks.

Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, filed a measure increasing the penalties for impersonating a police officer. In June, Vance Boelter fired multiple rounds at Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in their home after posing as a police officer. Boelter faces state and federal charges for injuring the Hoffmans and killing the Hortmans.

Hoffman, who is still recovering from his injuries, didn’t appear in person. But Latz spoke on his behalf. He said tougher penalties are appropriate.

“The shooter, the killer in in the legislative shootings earlier this summer, was wearing a very life-like mask that obscured his identity and was outfitted in a police uniform and was driving a vehicle that was typical, standard issue SUV that is used by many law enforcement agencies,” Latz said.

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Annunciation Catholic Church and School shooting

Dana Ferguson

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A working group created to mull possible policy changes following the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church heard from families directly affected and began dissecting bills that could come up.

The group was created to mull possible policy changes following the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church.

'Our children deserve better': Annunciation families urge action from lawmakers

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