Minnesota lawyer on preventing gun violence

And we can't even begin to imagine what everyone is going through there. Thank you for sharing a little bit of that emotion with us. As you mentioned, Minnesota is no stranger to this type of violence. I know you've worked a lot on combating gun violence. I'm wondering what you think would need to be done in light of this? What we're seeing so far tells us that what weapon was used was likely an assault weapons ban. And as a lawyer, what I know is that the Second Amendment allows regulations and does not prevent everyday use of guns for normal Americans. There are things we can do, one of them being the assault weapons ban. Nearly universally, courts that have addressed these bans have held them to be constitutional.

And I do want to talk a little bit about Minnesota's state laws because they have expanded background checks recently. The governor is a Democrat. And yet this still happened. I'm wondering if there's anything that you see related to some things that have already been put into law. We don't know much about this shooter's background yet, so we don't know if he would have passed a background check. Currently, Minnesota law allows people as young as 18 to legally purchase an assault weapon. And even if all laws were complied with and he was able to pass a background check, he still was able to perpetrate this mass shooting. He obviously was dealing with a lot of mental health issues, and it was easier for him to access a firearm that killed at least two people and led to horrible trauma for everyone else in our community, easier than it was for him to get help. Most mass shooters historically are suicidal, and so it seems that that's exactly what happened here today.

And when we're talking about children going back to school at this time, so many parents across the country are dealing with this feeling or fear that is so profound. Everyone is aware of it. What about when it comes to school safety. Are there measures that you could advocate for when it comes to the schools themselves? I know this very personally. My youngest daughter had her first day of kindergarten today, so I dropped her off and moments later I learned about this shooting. Every parent worries about getting a call like the ones that the parents today from Annunciation got.

What can we know about the vigil being planned for tonight? Today, we are going to be honoring the families of the people who have been shot at Annunciation, and it will be a gathering of community to be together in this moment of pain. But there's a lot more work to do after today. And so what I would say is that I encourage people not just to be involved today, but to think, what can you do tomorrow? What can you due a week from now? Parents do not want these calls coming in. Schools and churches are supposed to be the safest places where children can go. And I do think that schools are doing the best they can. They're trying to enact safety procedures and keep their schools safe. But it really is easy access to firearm laws that are really at the heart of what's causing these problems.

Megan, we will be thinking of this community tonight as you gather for your vigil this evening, and we wish you all the best. Thank you so much. Thank you very much.