Letter to your Representatives

Name:

Address:

Date:
The Honorable ___________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
Dear ____________________________,
We are writing as broken-hearted parents of five recent
Annunciation alumni. Each of our children attended at least 100
all-school Masses during their nine-year tenure at Annunciation
with their friends and buddies and we now find ourselves in the
position of comforting them as they have seen the magic bubble
of this special community popped. Our community, the families
with children in the school, the children, teachers, and staff
who were in the church during the shooting, and those of us who
have held Annunciation dear for decades are experiencing trauma
that will last a lifetime.
Every time there is a school shooting anywhere in the country,
we hear “now is not the time to discuss solutions.” But this
latest school shooting was in our state, in our neighborhood,
at the school that was the basis of most of the important
relationships in our lives. We can NO LONGER tolerate inaction.
We believe that the time to act is NOW and we are asking you to
support a special session of the Minnesota legislature to
address the rampant gun violence in our community. The majority
of the public believe that it is beyond time for something to
be done. We can think of no valid reason why your average
citizen needs to have access to automatic or semi-automatic
weapons. They are designed to KILL.
We urge you to support legislation that includes:
1. Universal background checks for all gun sales; no
exceptions;
2. Mandatory safe storage laws, especially when there are
children in the home;

3. Red flag laws that empower families and law
enforcement to intervene before its too late;
4. Banning assault weapons; and
5. Additional funding to support mental health treatment
for troubled youth.

This may be the one time in Minnesota when substantial gun
control is possible and we must all band together and try to
accomplish this FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN.
We either fight this madness or we don’t. Please join us, the
heartbroken Annunciation parents and SW Minneapolis families,
in beginning our long journey of healing by at least limiting
the purchase of assault weapons so that the children in our
communities can feel more safe in places where they should feel
safe: at school, in church, and in our wider communities.
WE CAN NO LONGER VALUE FIREARMS MORE THAN WE VALUE OUR CHILDREN.
It is time to fight. When we pray, we MUST move our feet.

Sincerely,