Minnesotans, and people across the country, are making their voices heard following last week's deadly mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis.

Students in the Twin Cities and Duluth participated in the walkouts, organized by Students Demand Action, a grassroots arm of Everytown for Gun Safety. 

"It really hit close to home for all of us," Cretin-Derham Hall senior Mary Jensen said. "It's been really hard. People have been coming together, but at the same time, separated. Today, we didn't want to be politically divided. We wanted to come together as a community."

They are demanding state and federal lawmakers pass bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

"I don't think it's a political issue. I don't think it has to do with different parties," Ellen Kovats, another senior at Cretin-Derham, said. "I think it's just the fact that as students, we deserve to go to a school and not be afraid of violence."  

The walkouts were planned in communities including Eagan, Hopkins, Golden Valley and Stillwater, to name a few.

Faith leaders and activists also gathered on Friday at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul to demand lawmakers address gun safety in a possible upcoming special session announced earlier this week by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.

"The things that make America unique in terms of shootings is we just have more guns and the wrong kinds of guns that are on the streets," Walz said on Tuesday.

In a statement released soon after Walz's announcement, House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, called the governor's move a "knee-jerk reaction," with Republican leadership laying out their special session priorities, including increased funding for school resource officers and repealing or amending gender-affirming care laws. The latter appears to be connected to questions about the gender identity of the Annunciation shooter at the time of the massacre. The shooter's legal name and gender were changed in 2020.      

The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus believes assault weapon bans won't reduce gun crimes, and instead wants lawmakers to "strengthen mental health resources, expand community support, and secure schools-steps that research shows actually work and will gain broad bipartisan support."  

Similar demonstrations have occurred in the wake of the Annunciation tragedy, including rallies last week in the Twin Cities and a walkout Wednesday where students from the Minneapolis Catholic high school DeLaSalle marched from Nicollet Island to downtown's Gold Medal Park and the Hennepin County Government Center.  

"I think also just after the last incident at Annunciation, a lot of students, including ourselves, felt really restless about the situation," DeLaSalle senior Solveigh Bratulich told WCCO. "And obviously we've heard a lot about thoughts and prayers, and thoughts and prayers not being enough, and it felt like we needed to do something."     

Also on Friday morning, the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis livestreamed Archbishop Bernard Hebda saying the rosary with a group of students. Catholic schools joined in solidarity in the call to end gun violence against children.

Hebda and the students prayed for the two Annunciation students who are still hospitalized — Sophia Forchas and Lydia Kaiser — as well as the two students killed in the attack: Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski.

"I trust that we were joined today by Fletcher and Harper, who can be such powerful intercessors for us at this time," Hebda said. "I know that the Lord hears the prayers of our young people. I'm grateful to all of you who have joined in this rosary, but especially to our young people."