Gabby Giffords remembers Annunciation school shooting victims one year later

WASHINGTON — GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention organization led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement recognizing one year since a mass shooting took place at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Two children, Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel, were killed, and 28 others were injured during the shooting.

“There are few things as devastating as the loss of a child. Today, my heart is with Fletcher and Harper’s parents as they grieve their little ones. Their lives were stolen in church, a place where they should always have been safe,” said former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. “I am also thinking of those who were injured in this terrible shooting. For many, the pain and fear of such a traumatic moment will impact them for years to come. This shooting should never have happened, and our legislators have a responsibility to pass strong, commonsense gun safety laws to help ensure the next school shooting never does.”

Minnesota has a B on GIFFORDS Gun Law Scorecard. In 2023, the state passed several crucial gun laws, including expanded background checks, extreme risk protection orders and extended waiting periods. Following the Annunciation school shooting, the Minnesota Senate approved a gun safety package that would have banned high-capacity magazines and semiautomatic military-style assault weapons, alongside other commonsense gun violence solutions, but the legislation failed to pass the house this May. However, Minnesota did succeed in passing a law that will ensure that domestic abusers surrender their firearms.