“ No more apologies ”: Minnesota legislators and defenders plead for the control of firearms

The legislators of several levels of government in Minnesota were joined by defenders of the control of firearms in Minneapolis on Thursday to ask on Wednesday the control of the states and federal firearms following the shooting in a Catholic church, in which two children were killed and 18 other people, mainly children, were injured.

“Here we are again,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, Executive Director of Moms asks for Action, “because politicians prefer to protect the profits from the firearm lobby to protect our children.”

In the United States, the deadly violence of firearms has become more and more common in schools, churches and other environments formerly considered safe, despite efforts to strengthen security and identify potential authors before being able to act. And each new mass shooting arouses the long -standing national debate on access to firearms.

During the attack on Wednesday, the shooter, armed with a rifle, a pistol and a shotgun – all obtained legally, according to the police – drawn through the stained glass windows of the church of the students of an affiliated school, seated in benches for a service to celebrate the start of the new school year.

Two children, aged eight and 10, were killed during the shooting.

The mayor calls for the ban on assault weapons

The police said on Thursday that the shooter had fired 116 gunshots in the church.

During a press conference in the afternoon at the Town Hall, the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, called for a state prohibition and federal assault weapons and large capacity magazines.

“There is no reason for someone to be able to get 30 shots before reloading,” he said.

“We are not talking about your father’s shotgun here. We are talking about firearms that are designed to unravel the armor and kill people.”

A decision of the United States Supreme Court in 2008 reaffirmed the right of individual Americans to have firearms.

Look | “These children literally prayed,” explains the mayor:

The mayor describes the “unspeakable” shot in Minneapolis: “these children literally prayed”

The mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, speaking on Wednesday after a fatal shooting in a church welcoming Catholic schoolchildren, urged people to stay together and support affected families. “Each of us needs to get around our arms around these families, giving them each ounce that we can bring together.”

The mayor has challenged the point of view of many pro-tuning conservatives who argue that the prevalence of armed violence in the United States is a mental health problem, unrelated to access to firearms.

“The people who say:” It’s not firearms “, you have to make fun of me. These are firearms,” ​​said Frey on Thursday in a previous interview with ABC News.

Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota spoke of the surviving war in Somalia At the age of eight, never dreaming that she would practice active shooting exercises in the United States.

“There is something fundamentally broken,” she said.

There were 286 mass shots in the United States this year, on August 27, according to Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit group. He defines a mass shot as the one in which four or more people are killed or injured, not to mention the shooter.

Look | The Republicans swear to “return America again” – less control of firearms:

RNC focuses on the safer United States meeting-without control of firearms

The second day of the National Republican Convention focused on security in the United States, with border security and immigration to key subjects, but not the control of firearms – even following an attempted assassination on Donald Trump.

No criminal history

During a new separate conference on Thursday, Minneapolis police chief Brian O’Hara said that the shooter had no criminal history and no commitment ordered by the mental health – and therefore nothing would have prevented the attacker from buying firearms.

States and federal authorities said the shooter was motivated by hatred, a fascination for American mass fire and a desire for notoriety.

“The shooter has idolized some of the most notorious mass and school shooters in the history of our country,” said Joseph H. Thompson, American district prosecutor for Minnesota.

Thursday, officials of the city of Minneapolis spent the number of children injured at 15 on Wednesday at Annunciation Catholic Church, in addition to three parishioners in the 80s who were also injured. A child was in critical condition Thursday while 11 other victims remained in hospitals.

“A 10-year-old boy had more courage in a church bench, while his friend protected him with his body, than too many legislators more indebted in the hall of firearms than a child,” said Ferrell-Zabala.

“More excuses. Prayers have not saved these children while firearm fire sounds while they really pray. The action would have.”

Look | What it was inside the church:

The minneapolis student says hear the “very strong” noise during the church shot

A mother and a daughter describe moments of fear and confusion after a deadly shooting in the church of a Catholic school in Minneapolis on Wednesday. Suzanne Garcia said she was at work when she heard of filming and ran to the premises in search of her daughter, Clarissa, a fifth year student at school.