Three Annunciation Catholic School moms demand action during town hall
Three women stood together on stage at a town hall in Plymouth, Minnesota on Sunday, bound together by the tragedy their children experienced inside Annunciation Catholic Church on August 27.
"I don't want any other parent or family to feel this misery," said Malia Kimbrell.
Kimbrell's 9-year-old daughter Vivian was rushed to the hospital after over 100 bullets shattered the windows of Annunciation Catholic School. Vivian was shot multiple times. Now, Vivian is recovering at home and Kimbrell is advocating for a ban on assault weapons.
"It's more mental health resources and safer gun storage and better background checks and detecting potential threats online and improved security measures and banning assault weapons," Kimbrell said Sunday. "If the next mass shooting happens at your child's school, what type of weapon are you comfortable with the shooter being armed with?"
The group was brought together by Democratic Rep. Kelly Morrison as a town hall focused on gun violence prevention, for members of Minnesota's third district.
"By taking action, that's how we honor Harper, Fletcher and all the lives taken by gun violence," said Carla Maldonado.
Maldonado has two children at Annunciation and described the panic she felt after she and her husband heard the gunshots that morning from their home nearby.
"We cannot accept a world where civilians have access to weapons designed for battlefields," Maldonado said.
Stephanie Moscetti, a mother of two, also shared her fear that day. Saying her children are changed, espeically her son who was friends with Fletcher Merkel, an 8-year-old boy who was killed in the attack.
"My son was an honorary pallbearer at his friend's funeral, how is this our reality?" Moscetti questioned. "Our kids deserve safe schools, they deserve safe childhoods where they can play and learn."
About a week ago, a Minnesota Senate work group focused on addressing gun violence met for the first time, listening to pleas from some of these same parents.
Gov. Tim Walz has vowed to call a special session to address the issue, though a date has not been set.
If a bill is presented, the legislation would need the support of both democrats and republicans.
House Republicans previously released their list of policies to consider in a special session, which included school security grants, more funding for mental health beds and mandatory minimum prison sentences for repeat gun offenders.