August 30, 2025 • 38 mins
A horrific act of violence shattered the peace of what should have been a joyful back-to-school celebration at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis. As children gathered for Mass, a gunman positioned himself outside and fired through the stained glass windows, killing two elementary school students and injuring seventeen others, including fourteen children.
The tragedy unfolded with terrifying swiftness, leaving parents desperately searching for their children and a community struggling to comprehend the senseless violence. Through the words of survivors, including a brave 10-year-old who described hiding under pews as his friend was shot, we gain a heartbreaking glimpse into those moments of terror that no child should ever experience.
What makes this shooting particularly disturbing is the digital footprint left behind by the 23-year-old perpetrator. His manifesto revealed a disturbing amalgamation of hateful ideologies, references to previous mass shooters, and possible connections to online death cults that prey on vulnerable individuals. This modern creation of internet radicalization raises profound questions about how we monitor dangerous online spaces while protecting free expression.
The familiar, painful cycle has again emerged: grief gives way to outrage, which gives way to political debate. Some call for enhanced security measures like metal detectors, while others emphasize the need for meaningful gun safety legislation. Religious leaders have joined the conversation, arguing that "thoughts and prayers" without corresponding action represent an empty response to ongoing violence.
As we grapple with this tragedy, the core question remains: what are we willing to sacrifice to protect our children? Our schools and houses of worship should be sanctuaries, not targets. The time for meaningful action is now. Join us as we examine this heartbreaking event, honor the victims, and search for pathways toward a safer future where our children can learn and grow without fear.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Absolutely so.
Two children killed in ashooting at a Catholic church
and school.
We do have the shooter alsokilled himself, and so we have
his identity and someinformation emerging about who
he is and at least what he sayshe was up to here.
Let's go and take a listen tothe local police chief
(00:20):
describing the horror of thescene Earlier today just before
830 am, our city experienced anunthinkable tragedy.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Minneapolis police officers responded to a report
of a shooting at a mass that washappening at the Annunciation
Roman Catholic Church on theblock behind me.
This worship service wasmarking the first week of school
for children that are attendingthe Annunciation Catholic
(00:50):
School.
During the Mass, a gunmanapproached on the outside on the
side of the building and beganfiring a rifle through the
church windows towards thechildren sitting in the pews at
the Mass, church windows towardsthe children sitting in the
pews at the mass.
Shooting through the windows,he struck children and
(01:15):
worshippers that were inside thebuilding.
The shooter was armed with arifle, a shotgun and a pistol.
Two young children ages eightand ten ten were killed where
they sat in the pews.
Their parents have beennotified.
17 other people were injured,14 of them being children.
(01:36):
Two of those children are incritical condition.
The coward who fired theseshots ultimately took his own
life in the rear of the church.
The question from Matt was howare the injured students doing?
I believe all of them havetheir parents with them now and
they are all expected to survive.
All of the remaining victimsare expected to survive.
(01:57):
There is a range of injuries,however.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
At least some good news there at the end that the
remaining victims who wereinjured are expected to survive,
but two lives taken here, um,just absolutely horrific.
Apparently, what had unfoldedis at this catholic school, uh,
which you know is for kids twogrades k through eight.
They have an annual traditionof a back to school mass, and
the murderer here actually hadattended this school and was
(02:25):
likely familiar with thistradition, and he shot through
the windows.
So he didn't come into theschool, he actually shot through
the windows and that was theway he was able to create this
mass carnage.
Cnn actually interviewed one ofthe fifth grade students who
described what he saw unfold andthe way one of his close
(02:45):
friends was actually shot andinjured during the melee.
Let's go ahead and take alisten to that.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
The shots fired and then he kind of like got under
the pews and kind of um, theyshot through the um, the stained
glass windows, I think, and itwas really scary.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
What did you do after that?
Um just for some context, guys,the voice you hear speaking
right now is a 10-year-old.
A 10-year-old young man infifth grade, Weston Halency.
Young man in fifth grade,weston Halsey.
And so you're listening to a10-year-old describe this
(03:32):
horrific event.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Well, we waited like 10 to 5 minutes, I don't really
know and then we went to the gymand then the doors locked just
to make sure he didn't come.
And we waited to the gym andthen the doors locked just to
make sure he didn't come.
And we waited in the gym formore news and everyone was okay.
Where were your friends?
(03:56):
My friend got hit in the back.
Speaker 5 (04:01):
Did he go to the hospital?
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yeah, he went to the hospital.
What went through your mindwhen you saw that I was super
scared for him?
Speaker 1 (04:08):
And obviously it breaks your heart to think about
the families who have now losttheir children, the kids who
were, you know, directly injured, hit by gunfire and are, you
know, now having to deal withthese horrific injuries that may
impact for their whole lives.
But then you also just thinkabout a little kid like this and
what sort of trauma he's goingto experience.
(04:30):
I mean the horror of, you know,having to interview kids about
experiencing these massshootings and what this is going
to do to them for the rest oftheir lives.
Speaker 6 (04:38):
Yeah, that's right.
It's very, very difficult, youknow, to just not only we've
covered a number of these and towatch, kind of the way that it
all unfolds.
You know, just so horrific totarget children literally first
day of school.
There's not, you know, not muchelse at a human level that you
can really say about it In termsof the stuff that we've learned
about the gunman here.
(04:58):
Almost immediately some of thesocial media postings came out
and some of the identifyinginformation which has caused a
lot of discussion.
The local news actually inMinneapolis did quite a good job
of compiling some of thistogether.
I know there's been quite a lotfloating out there.
Some of it actually wasincorrect, but they did a good
job of combing through theYouTube video that was posted,
(05:21):
some 22-minute long so-calledmanifesto.
I'm going to warn everybody, itis very disturbing to watch,
you know.
I mean it's very unfortunately,having covered so many of these
, all the hallmarks of many ofthe previous ones and in fact
some explicit ones of callbacksto previous mass shooters.
We'll get into the potential,you know, quote inspiration and
all of this in a little bit, butwe're just going to show you in
(05:44):
their own words.
Again, I'm going to warneverybody.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
This is disturbing to watch, but let's go and take a
listen.
One of the more jarring imagesfrom the videos is this one the
arsenal of guns and ammo ondisplay.
Something many of you may havenoticed is the written words and
names on some of the weapons.
One of the guns says kill Trump, and others have the names of
notable mass shooters, includingRupnow, likely a reference to
Natalie Rupnow, the suspectedmass shooter in Madison last
(06:09):
year.
The name Robert Bowers is alsowritten on one of the weapons.
He was responsible for thedeadliest attack on the Jewish
community.
We don't know when this videowas shot, but there is a
reference to tomorrow.
Take a listen.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Tomorrow.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
I'm sorry to my family, but that's it.
That's all.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
I'm sorry to those kids.
Speaker 5 (06:38):
It's really disturbing to listen to.
In addition to the guns andammo, the video also flips
through these pages of whatappears to be a manifesto, looks
through these pages of whatappears to be a manifesto.
It's addressed to my family andfriends, saying in part I'm a
sad person haunted by thesethoughts that do not go away.
I know this is wrong, but Ican't seem to stop myself.
In another video, this one,Westman shows a different letter
(06:59):
, written in another languageand ending with this map.
It appears to be of a church,possibly a critical clue for
investigators.
Speaker 6 (07:08):
So we were seeing there the drawing of the map, as
you said, crystal, theconnections there to the school,
including the mother of thegunman who apparently had works
there.
But all of the I mean reallyall I could take away from this
and this really fits with ourchat chief PT story is just the
way that the internet is, I'mnot going to say enabling,
(07:30):
because it's blaming, but likewe are just witnessing these
like darkest corners of theinternet encourage, inspire, you
know, work together, perhaps insome case for people who are
full-blown mentally ill, youknow, to fulfill their worst
desires and to try and get somesort of notoriety.
(07:52):
Like I don't think it's anaccident actually that many of
the Hallmark's or theChristchurch shooting to Robert
Bauer, so many of these otherpeople, were included in there.
I know, you know, part of thediscussion here is that this I
mean, and this is part of alsokind of the sickness of our
culture almost immediatelyafterwards, uh, there was, you
(08:12):
know, kind of the using of themarkings and of the manifesto to
immediately start to try andmake points.
So, for example, like many ofthe anti-israel sayings were
immediately picked up by peoplewho are pro-israel to say, see,
this is an inspiration of theanti-israel you know movement.
Or, for example, you know theshooter appears to have been
transgender, changed the namesometime in the year, around 17,
with a signature by the mother.
(08:33):
But if you put it all together,I mean effectively what we all
witnessed was like the creationof the Internet.
You know, you were, I think yousaid something around.
It's like almost like aJubilee-style creation.
You know we have a trans nazi,uh here who murdered two
children.
Uh, all of the markings andeverything there is purely a
(08:54):
creation of the absolute worstdregs in part of the internet.
And so I really I I don't know.
Like you know everyone's tryingto make bigger points and all
this, and obviously you knowwe've had debates and my
feelings on transgenderism andall that are clear.
But, like, my biggest takeawayhere really is just about the
role of the internet and I don'tknow if there is a plea or
(09:15):
whatever to be made, but it'slike please just watch what
people watch, what your childrenare doing on the internet.
Like there's almost justcertainly that this is something
that has been going on foryears and years all the
hallmarks of mental illness,drug use apparently in the past,
which you know could possiblyhave contributed to a psychotic
break which you know connects toall of this and I don't know to
(09:35):
the extent that there's anational conversation or
whatever like that's the only.
That's my biggest takeaway.
I don't know what else to say.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
I mean, I think you know what everybody wants to
know immediately is okay, howare the guns procured?
The guns were purchased legally, so that's one piece.
And then you start digging intothe social media postings and I
did watch this entire manifesto, which, if you want to find
online, you can.
There were all sorts.
You saw the markings on the,you know, on the weaponry that
(10:04):
was used, and yeah, it was allover them, it was.
You know, on the, the weaponrythat was used, and yeah, it was,
it was all over them.
It was, you know, hatredtowards donald trump, it was
hatred towards jews, it wasanti-black, it was anti-hispanic
, um, it was had symbols of theoccult, um, there were all sorts
of.
There was all sorts of likeinternet slang.
One of it, one of them,literally said skibbity and I
(10:27):
mean, and that's why, to yourpoint, this murderer feels like
this very modern creation, right, and that's not to say look, we
don't know.
He writes in his manifestoabout how sick he is in the head
and how depressed he is and howsuicidal he is and obviously
ends up killing himself.
(10:48):
As you know, part of thishorrific mass shooting that
takes the lives of two innocentchildren, um, who were there,
you know, at mass at theirschool on first day of school
and traumatizes all the rest andtraumatize the entire community
, which I also want to mentionjust as a reminder.
Minneapolis was also the siteof where that gunman murdered a
state legislator and her husbandand you know, and attacked a
(11:10):
number of other statelegislators, so the city has
really just been going throughsome absolute horrors lately.
But I have no idea if this istruly the case.
A lot of people are theorizingthat he may have been
radicalized or, you know, hiswhatever sick ideology sort of
exacerbated by this online cult.
(11:31):
Frankly, I'd never heard of itbefore yesterday, so I'm far
from an expert, but there is asort of online telegram and
other social media network cultcalled 764.
It's affiliated with anotherone called 09A.
It's affiliated with anotherone called 09A.
Both of them are these sickdeath cults where people egg
each other on to commit violentacts on camera and the more
(12:08):
horrific the violent act, up toand including shootings and
suicide the more clout you gainin the community.
There seemed to be someindications in his writing that
he was looking for this sort ofnotoriety and certainly the
callbacks to other shooters youknow would indicate that sort of
desire, which is part of why,guys, I'm making an intentional
choice not that it's a like, youknow, not that it's a big thing
but not to say thisindividual's name, because why
give him what he really wanted,which is this level of fame and
notoriety?
(12:28):
And so there are a few piecesthat people are pointing to when
they're drawing theseconclusions.
As I said, it's like theneo-Nazi stuff, the online
internet slang, the symbols ofthe occult and also and this is
another weird one there was abunch of writing in the Russian
script, cyrillic, but I actuallythink it was like it was like a
(12:51):
phonetic version of Cyrillicthat translates into English,
but anyway, the like affiliationwith the Russian language and
this Russian symbology as well.
Apparently, you know, peoplewere drawing this connection to
this sort of like online cult.
And here's where the fact thatthis individual is transgender
might fit in, because apparentlythese you know these like death
(13:14):
cults online.
They intentionally prey onpeople who are struggling with
their identity or going throughmental health challenges, like
targeting the LGBTQ teenagerswho are, you know, who may be
going through a lot in dealingwith that queer identity.
So there may actually be aconnection, it's just not
(13:35):
necessarily the one that youknow that the right ones to jump
to draw.
That, just like being trans,makes you an evil murderer,
which obviously there is zeroevidence to support.
That and other identitycharacteristics you would not
draw a similar conclusion.
Um, I actually saw trey gowdyget himself potentially into
some trouble on fox news talkingabout how these shooters tend
(13:55):
to be white men, um, but in anycase, there's a I think it's a
connection that's worth digginginto.
Whether or not this is actuallywhat was going on with this guy
or not, I suspect we'll learnmore over the coming uh, weeks
and months.
Speaker 6 (14:12):
Right, you know, and I think this is important
because you're right, you know,this is immediately the what I
think is unfortunate.
And look, I mean, I my feelingson transgenderism are very
clear.
Like I think you know, mentalillness is a massive part of the
rise in all this.
But, looking at this, I reallydon't know how you could take
away a quote-unquote,one-dimensional view, because
(14:33):
this is just internet to me.
By the way, I think that's abig part of the trans story.
But unfortunately, looking atwhat you were talking about
again, I have covered so many ofthese.
I watched Christchurch Live,which I really wish I had never
done that because I was coveringthat in the newsroom and then
just to see that all beingredone again.
(14:54):
Or, for example, that Texaschurch shooting.
I did a lot of reportingactually on the background of
that individual and how theywere never supposed to be able
to purchase a gun.
It was a massive screw up bythe united states navy and the
reporting into the database.
And now there's all thisconversation, etc.
But, like I, I broadly I trulybelieve this is an entirely,
(15:15):
like you said, a modern creationof the internet where the trans
part, that neo-nazi, thewhatever I mean all of the
russians, satanic, occult,including apparently you were
saying we were digging into thisand and there's like pedophilia
, you know that apparently hasbeen linked to all of this as
well.
This is a sickness which is all100% empowered by these court.
(15:36):
Now, I'm not somedisinformation censorship person
at all.
I'm not, and I know I'm.
Honestly.
I'm thinking about all thatstuff.
Like, in the context of this,context of this, I want to
hammer on to people about thesickness of what mental illness
and the internet and how thosetwo things have come together to
create this deeply sickphenomenon.
(15:57):
And, like you said, there'sstill a lot of questions.
I'm not immediately going to goout.
This person is 23 years old andso, of course, they're an adult
and at the end of the day, youknow someone told you to do
something or not, like you ownand have total responsibility,
of course, but you know youdon't just acquire all this
weaponry and all these guns andhave all these signs of
(16:17):
full-blown mental illness forlike five years and nobody knew
anything about it, and so youknow that's where some of the
community and perhaps familymembers and all these people
need to answer some questionshere as to what exactly new and
when.
Interactions with lawenforcement.
I also want to hammer that home.
In almost every single case,these mass shootings known to
law enforcement is always, italways happens.
(16:40):
It's like oh, there were likeninety nine different.
This happened in Parkland.
Like I said, it happened withthe taxi shooting.
Different this happened inParkland, like I said, it
happened with the taxi shooting.
It's happened with so many ofthe December 1st where there
were many opportunities actuallyto the very least have somebody
either said something and ifsomebody didn't say something, I
think that also.
I would hope that that comes tolight, because a lot of these
people always get off scot-free.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Well, you raise a really important point.
I don't have this confirmed,but people online have surfaced
some of this individual'spostings where he was out and
out saying I'm going to go andshoot up a church, right, I'm
going to be a mass shooter, I'mgoing to go kill children how,
(17:21):
what music should I post?
And asking for advice.
And if that was truly out thereon the internet, you also have
to ask some questions aboutwhere the hell is the FBI?
You know, how is yeah, I mean,how is this not?
And then, when you know, whichdoes connect to potentially a
broader conversation about, wesee these FBI agents who are,
(17:42):
like you know, picking upgarbage in the streets of DC
when maybe they should have beenfocused on what was going on.
You know, in this sickindividual's head who was out
posting in the open Again, Idon't have it confirmed, but
this is what people are sort oflooking online.
Yeah, it looks likely thisperson was out there posting in
the open what their intentionswere and law enforcement, as far
(18:04):
as we know, didn't see it ordid nothing about it or whatever
.
Speaker 6 (18:09):
Yeah, and we're going to hear, and that's the thing.
Again, I want to hand this over.
Parkland, known to literally apulse.
I have covered so many of theseover the decade that every
single time it comes forward, oh, known to this, known to that,
and same with the parent,anybody else in the community.
If you knew this person, hedidn't say anything.
Or if you had any influencewhatsoever, I don't know.
(18:30):
I mean, again, I think thatthat should be a real living in
infamy moment.
So I don't have much else tosay other than please, you know,
watch what your children aredoing on the internet.
I mean, I know that soundscrazy and almost testy or
whatever, but you know this doesnot just happen overnight.
It also it takes hours,potentially years and more
likely, you know, consideringthe track of how it's all gone,
(18:52):
of years, of these signs of likefull again, full-blown mental
illness, and you know to theextent that people look the
other way or wanted to empowermental illness or whatever.
I think that is all very, veryimportant for the conversation.
So, you know, you know the lastthing is just, you know, two
children are dead and, like youknow, the worst part is all the,
(19:12):
all these kids.
You know it's.
It's incredible that theysurvive, but they're going to
have to live with this forever,and the parents and anybody else
you know.
As a new parent, for me I guessit's just hitting home.
This is the first one I had tocover.
I can't imagine.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
No, no, no.
You truly, you truly can.
And you know, my kids publicschools this year and we live
out in the country very safearea, same town I grew up in.
They decided they needed toinstall metal detectors this
year.
And it's like you know on theone hand it's I'm glad they're
taking their safety seriously.
On the other hand it's such asecond indictment of our society
(19:54):
that that is a necessary thingto do at an elementary school.
So in any case, we'll continueto follow the story and you know
, anything that comes to lightthat helps inform a national
conversation so we can avoidsome of these horrific tragedies
in the future.
But it also feels prettyhopeless, given that they just
continue and continue andnothing changes.
It also feels pretty hopelessgiven that they just continue
and continue and nothing changes.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Now, of course, I wish that this were not
something we have to talk aboutperiodically, and I do wish we
were here to talk about.
You know, everyday life, thelittle struggles and the small
triumphs, but today the shadowhangs heavy over us.
(20:29):
We Get the headlines thatshould never exist Children
gunned down in school, catholicparish school, a place that's
supposed to be a sanctuary.
The very word sanctuary,actually translated, means
safety, sacred ground, and yetbullets tore through that
(20:52):
sanctity, turning classroomsinto morgues and prayers into
cries of anguish.
There's no easy way to dressthis up.
A Catholic school should be aplace where faith and learning
meet, but this week we saw itbecame another entry in
America's shameful register ofmass shootings.
(21:14):
We cannot gloss over this, wecannot normalize it.
These were children, teachers,staff, human beings made in the
image of god, and their bloodcries out now from the ground.
This is not an isolatedincident and though it is in
(21:36):
part, somewhat of a pattern, sopredictable that journalists
have templates ready to publishbefore the bodies are even cold.
Breaking news school shootinginsert town.
Insert victim.
Insert grieving parents faces.
America, it seems, has acceptedwhat no other wealthy democracy
(21:59):
accepts Children regularlyslaughtered at school.
Every nation has crimes, everysociety has disturbed
individuals, but only here doesthe combination of firepower and
political paralysis andcultural idolatry of guns lead
to this ceaseless bloodletting.
(22:21):
Think of it we run drills inschool, we teach eight year olds
how to hide from shooters,shooters.
We do active shooter traininginstead of how to conjugate
verbs.
We post armed guards at churchdoors instead of greeters, and
(22:42):
when a shooting happens anyway,we send thoughts and prayers as
though God hasn't already givenus common sense to pass laws
that protect life, us commonsense to pass laws that protect
life.
We cannot keep saying this isthe price of freedom, it is the
price of our cowardice.
And just for some context here,the children were praying when
(23:09):
this happened, and so theanguished question Rises.
It rises every time some ofthis happens.
You're going to hear somebodysay when was God In that school
when the gunfire erupted?
And I can say back God wasthere, as close to the children,
(23:32):
as close as their own breath.
God was in the teacher whoshielded their students with
their body.
God was in the trembling voicethat prayed Hail Mary's in the
closets.
God was in the first responderswho read towards the danger.
God was in every heartbeat thatsurvived.
(23:59):
But God is not a magician whosnaps his fingers to override
human ego.
God gives us agency, freedomand therefore moral
responsibility.
The question isn't where wasGod?
But where were we?
Where was our courage toprevent this?
Where was our love for ourneighbors?
Where was our love of ourneighbor when we refused to
(24:23):
demand change?
Jesus said let the littlechildren come unto me.
He did not say let the littlechildren be martyred in their
classroom.
Every bullet that entered thatschool was a blasphemy against
the gospel.
(24:46):
And here's the blunt truth.
The Catholic school shooting isnot only a spiritual tragedy,
it is a political failure.
We have wrapped the SecondAmendment around our neck like a
golden calf.
We treat guns as sacred objects.
Some Americans revere firearmsmore than they revere the
Beatitudes.
Politicians who claim to bepro-life can't pass the simplest
(25:08):
background check law.
Leaders who weep on Canberrafor dead children will still
cast checks from the gun lobby.
And the church itself, ofcourse, has been quiet, too
cautious, too afraid ofoffending.
But if the church will not cryout after its own children are
(25:29):
slain in the pews and in theclassroom, then what is left of
the church's prophetic voice?
This is not about who's on theleft.
This is not about who's on theright.
It's about life or death.
It's about whether we love ourchildren enough to do we rage.
(25:53):
And even as we mourn, we mustremember evil does not get the
last word.
Resurrection followscrucifixion.
Light pierces darkness.
The shooter's bullets couldtake lives, but they could not
and will not erase people'sworth.
(26:16):
We honor those children and theteachers, not by despair, but by
the radical thing we have to do, by having a defiant type of
hope.
A hope that insists tomorrowcan be different.
A hope that turns into action.
Voting Tomorrow can bedifferent.
(26:39):
A hope that turns into actionvoting, organizing, challenging
lawmakers, preaching truthwithout an apology.
Hope that refuses to letcynicism harden our broken
hearts.
We honor them with love, lovethat comforts the grieving, love
that shows up with meals, withprayers, with presents.
Love that refuses to give in tothe hatred.
So we have to grieve.
(27:00):
Let us grieve, let us rage, butlet us not grow numb.
Let this Catholic schoolshooting break our hearts, not
shut them down.
Let it call us back to thegospel and what it commands Love
your neighbor as yourself.
(27:21):
And may the memory of thoseloss move us, not someday, not
eventually, but now, noteventually, but now To build a
country where a sanctuary meansa sanctuary and where children
(27:45):
can learn without fear.
Speaker 7 (27:46):
Our system is reactive.
Something bad happens, we reactto it, and what people are
crying for now is how can weprevent this, how can we stop it
?
And the only way to stop it isto identify the shooter ahead of
time or keep the weapons out oftheir hands.
And so we're going to have tohave a conversation of freedom
versus protecting children.
(28:06):
I mean, how many schoolshootings does it take before
we're going to have aconversation about keeping
firearms out?
It's always a young white male,almost always.
I mean, did anyone this morningthink, I wonder, if that was a
female?
Did any of y'all think that?
I mean, there's been one schoolshooting involving a female.
It was in Tennessee, tennessee.
(28:27):
But other than that, it isusually young white males.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
Do we not worry about laws on the books?
Speaker 8 (28:35):
Now someone off mic is yelling about laws that are
on the books.
Now there is some additionalcontroversy to Trey Gowdy's
comments about it being a youngwhite male, because it appears
as though the perpetrator inthis case had a trans identity.
I don't even want to get intothat.
We can discuss those elementslater.
I just wanted we can discussthose elements later.
Trey Gowdy even remotelywilling to say maybe keeping
(29:01):
guns out of people's hands inthe first place is something
that has to be balanced with theso-called freedom to have guns?
Now Sean Hannity has a verydifferent idea.
He wants metal detectors at theschools.
The problem these kids were ina church and the gun person
fired through a window.
So I don't know what a metaldetector in school would do.
And here's the saddest part.
Speaker 9 (29:21):
School shootings are preventable and simple, basic
common sense actions canmitigate these tragedies.
If we have the desire to stopschool shootings, this is the
first thing you should do.
Every school in the countryshould have a metal detector.
You have them at airports.
You have them when you'rearound elected politicians.
By the way, they have armedguards around them.
(29:43):
You have to control the entryof kids and the perimeter around
every school and, by the way,the way I would do it, I would
hire retired military trainedlaw enforcement, retired with
concealed carries.
They should be in every schoolin the country, along with metal
detectors, along with a secureperimeter.
(30:03):
Now, for these people that youhire, you could even do it and
not pay them.
What do you mean, hannity?
Speaker 8 (30:09):
everyone's going to work.
All right, hannity.
Now let's talk about volunteerpeople or whatever the case may
be.
We have a situation here wherethere is one side that never
wants to talk about the gunaspect.
It's either the doors that wereunlocked that's the problem,
per Ted Cruz or it's there wasno metal detector, or it's
(30:31):
mental illness, or it's videogames, it's woke or whatever the
case may be.
At a certain point, if the toolthat continually is used is
guns, we've got to look ataccess to the tool.
Now I'm the first to tell youmental illness is often a
component.
(30:52):
Most mentally ill people, asloosely defined, are never
violent.
Most Sometimes mental illnessis an issue.
But these very same Republicansare the ones trying to cut
social programs, who don't wantthe possibility of having mental
health professionals ratherthan armed police respond in
certain scenarios to people whohave 911 called on them.
(31:15):
Right, these are the people whoinsist when we want to talk
about guns, the problem ismental illness, but when we want
to talk about funding programsto treat mental illness, they
say no, we don't have the moneyfor that.
Let's actually strip care frompeople.
So I'm not pretending that TreyGowdy is now the ultimate
arbiter of truth on gun safetyregulations and gun violence,
(31:36):
but he's at least at the pointwhere he's ready to say all of
the talk about freedom, thefreedom to have guns, right.
The second amendment, as thehighest and most the top
priority virtue, is freedom tohave guns.
There has to be some, somebalance, and that balance may be
(31:57):
keeping guns out of the handsof certain people.
Maybe we're turning a corner interms of this discussion with
Republicans, but I don't reallythink so.
Speaker 10 (32:05):
Prayers of officials mean nothing to God without
action.
As children gathered atAnnunciation Catholic Church in
Minneapolis, minnesota, to pray,a 22-year-old white male gunman
stormed into the sanctuary,killing two elementary school
children and injuring 17 others,and despite the systemic nature
of gun violence, particularlyagainst our children at school
(32:26):
and worshipers in churches suchas Mother Emanuel AME, the
nation was once again handednothing but the emptiness of
thoughts and prayers frompolitical leaders who could take
action.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Freywas immediately attacked when he
accurately instructed thenation to quote don't just say
this is about thoughts andprayers.
Right now.
These kids were literallypraying.
(32:46):
So let's get somethingbiblically straight.
Number one God does not hear noraccept all prayers.
The word of God in the book ofIsaiah declares even when you
offer many prayers, I am notlistening.
Your hands are full of blood.
Stop doing wrong.
Seek justice, defend theoppressed.
Jesus himself warns us when youpray, do not be like the
(33:09):
hypocrites praying to be seen byothers.
They have received their rewardin full.
Number two the Bible is clearFaith without works is dead.
The book of James, chapter two,verses 15 through 17, says
quote if you say go in peace butdo nothing, what good is it
Faith without works is dead.
(33:29):
The first book of John drivesthe point even further, saying,
quote let us love with actions.
And in truth.
Number three God requiresjustice and love over thoughts
and prayers.
The prophet Micah makes itplain what does the Lord require
of you To act justly, to lovemercy and to walk humbly with
your God.
(33:49):
Ezekiel warns our leaderssaying, quote if the sword comes
and the watchman does not soundthe alarm, I will hold them
accountable for their blood.
Politicians who vote to loosengun restrictions are lifting up
bloodstained hands raised inhypocrisy, and heaven turns away
.
The Bible says that yourprayers are noise, your
(34:11):
condolences are detestable, yourrituals are rejected.
And until you free the UnitedStates from the idolatry and
worship of guns, god will nothear nor answer the prayers of a
people who sacrifice theirchildren on the altar of the NRA
.
Absolutely so.
Two children killed in ashooting at a Catholic church
and school.
We do have the shooter alsokilled himself, and so we have
his identity and someinformation emerging about who
he is and at least what he sayshe was up to here.
Let's go and take a listen tothe local police chief
(00:20):
describing the horror of thescene Earlier today just before
830 am, our city experienced anunthinkable tragedy.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Minneapolis police officers responded to a report
of a shooting at a mass that washappening at the Annunciation
Roman Catholic Church on theblock behind me.
This worship service wasmarking the first week of school
for children that are attendingthe Annunciation Catholic
(00:50):
School.
During the Mass, a gunmanapproached on the outside on the
side of the building and beganfiring a rifle through the
church windows towards thechildren sitting in the pews at
the Mass, church windows towardsthe children sitting in the
pews at the mass.
Shooting through the windows,he struck children and
(01:15):
worshippers that were inside thebuilding.
The shooter was armed with arifle, a shotgun and a pistol.
Two young children ages eightand ten ten were killed where
they sat in the pews.
Their parents have beennotified.
17 other people were injured,14 of them being children.
(01:36):
Two of those children are incritical condition.
The coward who fired theseshots ultimately took his own
life in the rear of the church.
The question from Matt was howare the injured students doing?
I believe all of them havetheir parents with them now and
they are all expected to survive.
All of the remaining victimsare expected to survive.
(01:57):
There is a range of injuries,however.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
At least some good news there at the end that the
remaining victims who wereinjured are expected to survive,
but two lives taken here, um,just absolutely horrific.
Apparently, what had unfoldedis at this catholic school, uh,
which you know is for kids twogrades k through eight.
They have an annual traditionof a back to school mass, and
the murderer here actually hadattended this school and was
(02:25):
likely familiar with thistradition, and he shot through
the windows.
So he didn't come into theschool, he actually shot through
the windows and that was theway he was able to create this
mass carnage.
Cnn actually interviewed one ofthe fifth grade students who
described what he saw unfold andthe way one of his close
(02:45):
friends was actually shot andinjured during the melee.
Let's go ahead and take alisten to that.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
The shots fired and then he kind of like got under
the pews and kind of um, theyshot through the um, the stained
glass windows, I think, and itwas really scary.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
What did you do after that?
Um just for some context, guys,the voice you hear speaking
right now is a 10-year-old.
A 10-year-old young man infifth grade, Weston Halency.
Young man in fifth grade,weston Halsey.
And so you're listening to a10-year-old describe this
(03:32):
horrific event.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Well, we waited like 10 to 5 minutes, I don't really
know and then we went to the gymand then the doors locked just
to make sure he didn't come.
And we waited to the gym andthen the doors locked just to
make sure he didn't come.
And we waited in the gym formore news and everyone was okay.
Where were your friends?
(03:56):
My friend got hit in the back.
Speaker 5 (04:01):
Did he go to the hospital?
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yeah, he went to the hospital.
What went through your mindwhen you saw that I was super
scared for him?
Speaker 1 (04:08):
And obviously it breaks your heart to think about
the families who have now losttheir children, the kids who
were, you know, directly injured, hit by gunfire and are, you
know, now having to deal withthese horrific injuries that may
impact for their whole lives.
But then you also just thinkabout a little kid like this and
what sort of trauma he's goingto experience.
(04:30):
I mean the horror of, you know,having to interview kids about
experiencing these massshootings and what this is going
to do to them for the rest oftheir lives.
Speaker 6 (04:38):
Yeah, that's right.
It's very, very difficult, youknow, to just not only we've
covered a number of these and towatch, kind of the way that it
all unfolds.
You know, just so horrific totarget children literally first
day of school.
There's not, you know, not muchelse at a human level that you
can really say about it In termsof the stuff that we've learned
about the gunman here.
(04:58):
Almost immediately some of thesocial media postings came out
and some of the identifyinginformation which has caused a
lot of discussion.
The local news actually inMinneapolis did quite a good job
of compiling some of thistogether.
I know there's been quite a lotfloating out there.
Some of it actually wasincorrect, but they did a good
job of combing through theYouTube video that was posted,
(05:21):
some 22-minute long so-calledmanifesto.
I'm going to warn everybody, itis very disturbing to watch,
you know.
I mean it's very unfortunately,having covered so many of these
, all the hallmarks of many ofthe previous ones and in fact
some explicit ones of callbacksto previous mass shooters.
We'll get into the potential,you know, quote inspiration and
all of this in a little bit, butwe're just going to show you in
(05:44):
their own words.
Again, I'm going to warneverybody.
Speaker 5 (05:48):
This is disturbing to watch, but let's go and take a
listen.
One of the more jarring imagesfrom the videos is this one the
arsenal of guns and ammo ondisplay.
Something many of you may havenoticed is the written words and
names on some of the weapons.
One of the guns says kill Trump, and others have the names of
notable mass shooters, includingRupnow, likely a reference to
Natalie Rupnow, the suspectedmass shooter in Madison last
(06:09):
year.
The name Robert Bowers is alsowritten on one of the weapons.
He was responsible for thedeadliest attack on the Jewish
community.
We don't know when this videowas shot, but there is a
reference to tomorrow.
Take a listen.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Tomorrow.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
I'm sorry to my family, but that's it.
That's all.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
I'm sorry to those kids.
Speaker 5 (06:38):
It's really disturbing to listen to.
In addition to the guns andammo, the video also flips
through these pages of whatappears to be a manifesto, looks
through these pages of whatappears to be a manifesto.
It's addressed to my family andfriends, saying in part I'm a
sad person haunted by thesethoughts that do not go away.
I know this is wrong, but Ican't seem to stop myself.
In another video, this one,Westman shows a different letter
(06:59):
, written in another languageand ending with this map.
It appears to be of a church,possibly a critical clue for
investigators.
Speaker 6 (07:08):
So we were seeing there the drawing of the map, as
you said, crystal, theconnections there to the school,
including the mother of thegunman who apparently had works
there.
But all of the I mean reallyall I could take away from this
and this really fits with ourchat chief PT story is just the
way that the internet is, I'mnot going to say enabling,
(07:30):
because it's blaming, but likewe are just witnessing these
like darkest corners of theinternet encourage, inspire, you
know, work together, perhaps insome case for people who are
full-blown mentally ill, youknow, to fulfill their worst
desires and to try and get somesort of notoriety.
(07:52):
Like I don't think it's anaccident actually that many of
the Hallmark's or theChristchurch shooting to Robert
Bauer, so many of these otherpeople, were included in there.
I know, you know, part of thediscussion here is that this I
mean, and this is part of alsokind of the sickness of our
culture almost immediatelyafterwards, uh, there was, you
(08:12):
know, kind of the using of themarkings and of the manifesto to
immediately start to try andmake points.
So, for example, like many ofthe anti-israel sayings were
immediately picked up by peoplewho are pro-israel to say, see,
this is an inspiration of theanti-israel you know movement.
Or, for example, you know theshooter appears to have been
transgender, changed the namesometime in the year, around 17,
with a signature by the mother.
(08:33):
But if you put it all together,I mean effectively what we all
witnessed was like the creationof the Internet.
You know, you were, I think yousaid something around.
It's like almost like aJubilee-style creation.
You know we have a trans nazi,uh here who murdered two
children.
Uh, all of the markings andeverything there is purely a
(08:54):
creation of the absolute worstdregs in part of the internet.
And so I really I I don't know.
Like you know everyone's tryingto make bigger points and all
this, and obviously you knowwe've had debates and my
feelings on transgenderism andall that are clear.
But, like, my biggest takeawayhere really is just about the
role of the internet and I don'tknow if there is a plea or
(09:15):
whatever to be made, but it'slike please just watch what
people watch, what your childrenare doing on the internet.
Like there's almost justcertainly that this is something
that has been going on foryears and years all the
hallmarks of mental illness,drug use apparently in the past,
which you know could possiblyhave contributed to a psychotic
break which you know connects toall of this and I don't know to
(09:35):
the extent that there's anational conversation or
whatever like that's the only.
That's my biggest takeaway.
I don't know what else to say.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
I mean, I think you know what everybody wants to
know immediately is okay, howare the guns procured?
The guns were purchased legally, so that's one piece.
And then you start digging intothe social media postings and I
did watch this entire manifesto, which, if you want to find
online, you can.
There were all sorts.
You saw the markings on the,you know, on the weaponry that
(10:04):
was used, and yeah, it was allover them, it was.
You know, on the, the weaponrythat was used, and yeah, it was,
it was all over them.
It was, you know, hatredtowards donald trump, it was
hatred towards jews, it wasanti-black, it was anti-hispanic
, um, it was had symbols of theoccult, um, there were all sorts
of.
There was all sorts of likeinternet slang.
One of it, one of them,literally said skibbity and I
(10:27):
mean, and that's why, to yourpoint, this murderer feels like
this very modern creation, right, and that's not to say look, we
don't know.
He writes in his manifestoabout how sick he is in the head
and how depressed he is and howsuicidal he is and obviously
ends up killing himself.
(10:48):
As you know, part of thishorrific mass shooting that
takes the lives of two innocentchildren, um, who were there,
you know, at mass at theirschool on first day of school
and traumatizes all the rest andtraumatize the entire community
, which I also want to mentionjust as a reminder.
Minneapolis was also the siteof where that gunman murdered a
state legislator and her husbandand you know, and attacked a
(11:10):
number of other statelegislators, so the city has
really just been going throughsome absolute horrors lately.
But I have no idea if this istruly the case.
A lot of people are theorizingthat he may have been
radicalized or, you know, hiswhatever sick ideology sort of
exacerbated by this online cult.
(11:31):
Frankly, I'd never heard of itbefore yesterday, so I'm far
from an expert, but there is asort of online telegram and
other social media network cultcalled 764.
It's affiliated with anotherone called 09A.
It's affiliated with anotherone called 09A.
Both of them are these sickdeath cults where people egg
each other on to commit violentacts on camera and the more
(12:08):
horrific the violent act, up toand including shootings and
suicide the more clout you gainin the community.
There seemed to be someindications in his writing that
he was looking for this sort ofnotoriety and certainly the
callbacks to other shooters youknow would indicate that sort of
desire, which is part of why,guys, I'm making an intentional
choice not that it's a like, youknow, not that it's a big thing
but not to say thisindividual's name, because why
give him what he really wanted,which is this level of fame and
notoriety?
(12:28):
And so there are a few piecesthat people are pointing to when
they're drawing theseconclusions.
As I said, it's like theneo-Nazi stuff, the online
internet slang, the symbols ofthe occult and also and this is
another weird one there was abunch of writing in the Russian
script, cyrillic, but I actuallythink it was like it was like a
(12:51):
phonetic version of Cyrillicthat translates into English,
but anyway, the like affiliationwith the Russian language and
this Russian symbology as well.
Apparently, you know, peoplewere drawing this connection to
this sort of like online cult.
And here's where the fact thatthis individual is transgender
might fit in, because apparentlythese you know these like death
(13:14):
cults online.
They intentionally prey onpeople who are struggling with
their identity or going throughmental health challenges, like
targeting the LGBTQ teenagerswho are, you know, who may be
going through a lot in dealingwith that queer identity.
So there may actually be aconnection, it's just not
(13:35):
necessarily the one that youknow that the right ones to jump
to draw.
That, just like being trans,makes you an evil murderer,
which obviously there is zeroevidence to support.
That and other identitycharacteristics you would not
draw a similar conclusion.
Um, I actually saw trey gowdyget himself potentially into
some trouble on fox news talkingabout how these shooters tend
(13:55):
to be white men, um, but in anycase, there's a I think it's a
connection that's worth digginginto.
Whether or not this is actuallywhat was going on with this guy
or not, I suspect we'll learnmore over the coming uh, weeks
and months.
Speaker 6 (14:12):
Right, you know, and I think this is important
because you're right, you know,this is immediately the what I
think is unfortunate.
And look, I mean, I my feelingson transgenderism are very
clear.
Like I think you know, mentalillness is a massive part of the
rise in all this.
But, looking at this, I reallydon't know how you could take
away a quote-unquote,one-dimensional view, because
(14:33):
this is just internet to me.
By the way, I think that's abig part of the trans story.
But unfortunately, looking atwhat you were talking about
again, I have covered so many ofthese.
I watched Christchurch Live,which I really wish I had never
done that because I was coveringthat in the newsroom and then
just to see that all beingredone again.
(14:54):
Or, for example, that Texaschurch shooting.
I did a lot of reportingactually on the background of
that individual and how theywere never supposed to be able
to purchase a gun.
It was a massive screw up bythe united states navy and the
reporting into the database.
And now there's all thisconversation, etc.
But, like I, I broadly I trulybelieve this is an entirely,
(15:15):
like you said, a modern creationof the internet where the trans
part, that neo-nazi, thewhatever I mean all of the
russians, satanic, occult,including apparently you were
saying we were digging into thisand and there's like pedophilia
, you know that apparently hasbeen linked to all of this as
well.
This is a sickness which is all100% empowered by these court.
(15:36):
Now, I'm not somedisinformation censorship person
at all.
I'm not, and I know I'm.
Honestly.
I'm thinking about all thatstuff.
Like, in the context of this,context of this, I want to
hammer on to people about thesickness of what mental illness
and the internet and how thosetwo things have come together to
create this deeply sickphenomenon.
(15:57):
And, like you said, there'sstill a lot of questions.
I'm not immediately going to goout.
This person is 23 years old andso, of course, they're an adult
and at the end of the day, youknow someone told you to do
something or not, like you ownand have total responsibility,
of course, but you know youdon't just acquire all this
weaponry and all these guns andhave all these signs of
(16:17):
full-blown mental illness forlike five years and nobody knew
anything about it, and so youknow that's where some of the
community and perhaps familymembers and all these people
need to answer some questionshere as to what exactly new and
when.
Interactions with lawenforcement.
I also want to hammer that home.
In almost every single case,these mass shootings known to
law enforcement is always, italways happens.
(16:40):
It's like oh, there were likeninety nine different.
This happened in Parkland.
Like I said, it happened withthe taxi shooting.
Different this happened inParkland, like I said, it
happened with the taxi shooting.
It's happened with so many ofthe December 1st where there
were many opportunities actuallyto the very least have somebody
either said something and ifsomebody didn't say something, I
think that also.
I would hope that that comes tolight, because a lot of these
people always get off scot-free.
Speaker 1 (17:00):
Well, you raise a really important point.
I don't have this confirmed,but people online have surfaced
some of this individual'spostings where he was out and
out saying I'm going to go andshoot up a church, right, I'm
going to be a mass shooter, I'mgoing to go kill children how,
(17:21):
what music should I post?
And asking for advice.
And if that was truly out thereon the internet, you also have
to ask some questions aboutwhere the hell is the FBI?
You know, how is yeah, I mean,how is this not?
And then, when you know, whichdoes connect to potentially a
broader conversation about, wesee these FBI agents who are,
(17:42):
like you know, picking upgarbage in the streets of DC
when maybe they should have beenfocused on what was going on.
You know, in this sickindividual's head who was out
posting in the open Again, Idon't have it confirmed, but
this is what people are sort oflooking online.
Yeah, it looks likely thisperson was out there posting in
the open what their intentionswere and law enforcement, as far
(18:04):
as we know, didn't see it ordid nothing about it or whatever
.
Speaker 6 (18:09):
Yeah, and we're going to hear, and that's the thing.
Again, I want to hand this over.
Parkland, known to literally apulse.
I have covered so many of theseover the decade that every
single time it comes forward, oh, known to this, known to that,
and same with the parent,anybody else in the community.
If you knew this person, hedidn't say anything.
Or if you had any influencewhatsoever, I don't know.
(18:30):
I mean, again, I think thatthat should be a real living in
infamy moment.
So I don't have much else tosay other than please, you know,
watch what your children aredoing on the internet.
I mean, I know that soundscrazy and almost testy or
whatever, but you know this doesnot just happen overnight.
It also it takes hours,potentially years and more
likely, you know, consideringthe track of how it's all gone,
(18:52):
of years, of these signs of likefull again, full-blown mental
illness, and you know to theextent that people look the
other way or wanted to empowermental illness or whatever.
I think that is all very, veryimportant for the conversation.
So, you know, you know the lastthing is just, you know, two
children are dead and, like youknow, the worst part is all the,
(19:12):
all these kids.
You know it's.
It's incredible that theysurvive, but they're going to
have to live with this forever,and the parents and anybody else
you know.
As a new parent, for me I guessit's just hitting home.
This is the first one I had tocover.
I can't imagine.
Speaker 1 (19:24):
No, no, no.
You truly, you truly can.
And you know, my kids publicschools this year and we live
out in the country very safearea, same town I grew up in.
They decided they needed toinstall metal detectors this
year.
And it's like you know on theone hand it's I'm glad they're
taking their safety seriously.
On the other hand it's such asecond indictment of our society
(19:54):
that that is a necessary thingto do at an elementary school.
So in any case, we'll continueto follow the story and you know
, anything that comes to lightthat helps inform a national
conversation so we can avoidsome of these horrific tragedies
in the future.
But it also feels prettyhopeless, given that they just
continue and continue andnothing changes.
It also feels pretty hopelessgiven that they just continue
and continue and nothing changes.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
Now, of course, I wish that this were not
something we have to talk aboutperiodically, and I do wish we
were here to talk about.
You know, everyday life, thelittle struggles and the small
triumphs, but today the shadowhangs heavy over us.
(20:29):
We Get the headlines thatshould never exist Children
gunned down in school, catholicparish school, a place that's
supposed to be a sanctuary.
The very word sanctuary,actually translated, means
safety, sacred ground, and yetbullets tore through that
(20:52):
sanctity, turning classroomsinto morgues and prayers into
cries of anguish.
There's no easy way to dressthis up.
A Catholic school should be aplace where faith and learning
meet, but this week we saw itbecame another entry in
America's shameful register ofmass shootings.
(21:14):
We cannot gloss over this, wecannot normalize it.
These were children, teachers,staff, human beings made in the
image of god, and their bloodcries out now from the ground.
This is not an isolatedincident and though it is in
(21:36):
part, somewhat of a pattern, sopredictable that journalists
have templates ready to publishbefore the bodies are even cold.
Breaking news school shootinginsert town.
Insert victim.
Insert grieving parents faces.
America, it seems, has acceptedwhat no other wealthy democracy
(21:59):
accepts Children regularlyslaughtered at school.
Every nation has crimes, everysociety has disturbed
individuals, but only here doesthe combination of firepower and
political paralysis andcultural idolatry of guns lead
to this ceaseless bloodletting.
(22:21):
Think of it we run drills inschool, we teach eight year olds
how to hide from shooters,shooters.
We do active shooter traininginstead of how to conjugate
verbs.
We post armed guards at churchdoors instead of greeters, and
(22:42):
when a shooting happens anyway,we send thoughts and prayers as
though God hasn't already givenus common sense to pass laws
that protect life, us commonsense to pass laws that protect
life.
We cannot keep saying this isthe price of freedom, it is the
price of our cowardice.
And just for some context here,the children were praying when
(23:09):
this happened, and so theanguished question Rises.
It rises every time some ofthis happens.
You're going to hear somebodysay when was God In that school
when the gunfire erupted?
And I can say back God wasthere, as close to the children,
(23:32):
as close as their own breath.
God was in the teacher whoshielded their students with
their body.
God was in the trembling voicethat prayed Hail Mary's in the
closets.
God was in the first responderswho read towards the danger.
God was in every heartbeat thatsurvived.
(23:59):
But God is not a magician whosnaps his fingers to override
human ego.
God gives us agency, freedomand therefore moral
responsibility.
The question isn't where wasGod?
But where were we?
Where was our courage toprevent this?
Where was our love for ourneighbors?
Where was our love of ourneighbor when we refused to
(24:23):
demand change?
Jesus said let the littlechildren come unto me.
He did not say let the littlechildren be martyred in their
classroom.
Every bullet that entered thatschool was a blasphemy against
the gospel.
(24:46):
And here's the blunt truth.
The Catholic school shooting isnot only a spiritual tragedy,
it is a political failure.
We have wrapped the SecondAmendment around our neck like a
golden calf.
We treat guns as sacred objects.
Some Americans revere firearmsmore than they revere the
Beatitudes.
Politicians who claim to bepro-life can't pass the simplest
(25:08):
background check law.
Leaders who weep on Canberrafor dead children will still
cast checks from the gun lobby.
And the church itself, ofcourse, has been quiet, too
cautious, too afraid ofoffending.
But if the church will not cryout after its own children are
(25:29):
slain in the pews and in theclassroom, then what is left of
the church's prophetic voice?
This is not about who's on theleft.
This is not about who's on theright.
It's about life or death.
It's about whether we love ourchildren enough to do we rage.
(25:53):
And even as we mourn, we mustremember evil does not get the
last word.
Resurrection followscrucifixion.
Light pierces darkness.
The shooter's bullets couldtake lives, but they could not
and will not erase people'sworth.
(26:16):
We honor those children and theteachers, not by despair, but by
the radical thing we have to do, by having a defiant type of
hope.
A hope that insists tomorrowcan be different.
A hope that turns into action.
Voting Tomorrow can bedifferent.
(26:39):
A hope that turns into actionvoting, organizing, challenging
lawmakers, preaching truthwithout an apology.
Hope that refuses to letcynicism harden our broken
hearts.
We honor them with love, lovethat comforts the grieving, love
that shows up with meals, withprayers, with presents.
Love that refuses to give in tothe hatred.
So we have to grieve.
(27:00):
Let us grieve, let us rage, butlet us not grow numb.
Let this Catholic schoolshooting break our hearts, not
shut them down.
Let it call us back to thegospel and what it commands Love
your neighbor as yourself.
(27:21):
And may the memory of thoseloss move us, not someday, not
eventually, but now, noteventually, but now To build a
country where a sanctuary meansa sanctuary and where children
(27:45):
can learn without fear.
Speaker 7 (27:46):
Our system is reactive.
Something bad happens, we reactto it, and what people are
crying for now is how can weprevent this, how can we stop it
?
And the only way to stop it isto identify the shooter ahead of
time or keep the weapons out oftheir hands.
And so we're going to have tohave a conversation of freedom
versus protecting children.
(28:06):
I mean, how many schoolshootings does it take before
we're going to have aconversation about keeping
firearms out?
It's always a young white male,almost always.
I mean, did anyone this morningthink, I wonder, if that was a
female?
Did any of y'all think that?
I mean, there's been one schoolshooting involving a female.
It was in Tennessee, tennessee.
(28:27):
But other than that, it isusually young white males.
Speaker 3 (28:31):
Do we not worry about laws on the books?
Speaker 8 (28:35):
Now someone off mic is yelling about laws that are
on the books.
Now there is some additionalcontroversy to Trey Gowdy's
comments about it being a youngwhite male, because it appears
as though the perpetrator inthis case had a trans identity.
I don't even want to get intothat.
We can discuss those elementslater.
I just wanted we can discussthose elements later.
Trey Gowdy even remotelywilling to say maybe keeping
(29:01):
guns out of people's hands inthe first place is something
that has to be balanced with theso-called freedom to have guns?
Now Sean Hannity has a verydifferent idea.
He wants metal detectors at theschools.
The problem these kids were ina church and the gun person
fired through a window.
So I don't know what a metaldetector in school would do.
And here's the saddest part.
Speaker 9 (29:21):
School shootings are preventable and simple, basic
common sense actions canmitigate these tragedies.
If we have the desire to stopschool shootings, this is the
first thing you should do.
Every school in the countryshould have a metal detector.
You have them at airports.
You have them when you'rearound elected politicians.
By the way, they have armedguards around them.
(29:43):
You have to control the entryof kids and the perimeter around
every school and, by the way,the way I would do it, I would
hire retired military trainedlaw enforcement, retired with
concealed carries.
They should be in every schoolin the country, along with metal
detectors, along with a secureperimeter.
(30:03):
Now, for these people that youhire, you could even do it and
not pay them.
What do you mean, hannity?
Speaker 8 (30:09):
everyone's going to work.
All right, hannity.
Now let's talk about volunteerpeople or whatever the case may
be.
We have a situation here wherethere is one side that never
wants to talk about the gunaspect.
It's either the doors that wereunlocked that's the problem,
per Ted Cruz or it's there wasno metal detector, or it's
(30:31):
mental illness, or it's videogames, it's woke or whatever the
case may be.
At a certain point, if the toolthat continually is used is
guns, we've got to look ataccess to the tool.
Now I'm the first to tell youmental illness is often a
component.
(30:52):
Most mentally ill people, asloosely defined, are never
violent.
Most Sometimes mental illnessis an issue.
But these very same Republicansare the ones trying to cut
social programs, who don't wantthe possibility of having mental
health professionals ratherthan armed police respond in
certain scenarios to people whohave 911 called on them.
(31:15):
Right, these are the people whoinsist when we want to talk
about guns, the problem ismental illness, but when we want
to talk about funding programsto treat mental illness, they
say no, we don't have the moneyfor that.
Let's actually strip care frompeople.
So I'm not pretending that TreyGowdy is now the ultimate
arbiter of truth on gun safetyregulations and gun violence,
(31:36):
but he's at least at the pointwhere he's ready to say all of
the talk about freedom, thefreedom to have guns, right.
The second amendment, as thehighest and most the top
priority virtue, is freedom tohave guns.
There has to be some, somebalance, and that balance may be
(31:57):
keeping guns out of the handsof certain people.
Maybe we're turning a corner interms of this discussion with
Republicans, but I don't reallythink so.
Speaker 10 (32:05):
Prayers of officials mean nothing to God without
action.
As children gathered atAnnunciation Catholic Church in
Minneapolis, minnesota, to pray,a 22-year-old white male gunman
stormed into the sanctuary,killing two elementary school
children and injuring 17 others,and despite the systemic nature
of gun violence, particularlyagainst our children at school
(32:26):
and worshipers in churches suchas Mother Emanuel AME, the
nation was once again handednothing but the emptiness of
thoughts and prayers frompolitical leaders who could take
action.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Freywas immediately attacked when he
accurately instructed thenation to quote don't just say
this is about thoughts andprayers.
Right now.
These kids were literallypraying.
(32:46):
So let's get somethingbiblically straight.
Number one God does not hear noraccept all prayers.
The word of God in the book ofIsaiah declares even when you
offer many prayers, I am notlistening.
Your hands are full of blood.
Stop doing wrong.
Seek justice, defend theoppressed.
Jesus himself warns us when youpray, do not be like the
(33:09):
hypocrites praying to be seen byothers.
They have received their rewardin full.
Number two the Bible is clearFaith without works is dead.
The book of James, chapter two,verses 15 through 17, says
quote if you say go in peace butdo nothing, what good is it
Faith without works is dead.
(33:29):
The first book of John drivesthe point even further, saying,
quote let us love with actions.
And in truth.
Number three God requiresjustice and love over thoughts
and prayers.
The prophet Micah makes itplain what does the Lord require
of you To act justly, to lovemercy and to walk humbly with
your God.
(33:49):
Ezekiel warns our leaderssaying, quote if the sword comes
and the watchman does not soundthe alarm, I will hold them
accountable for their blood.
Politicians who vote to loosengun restrictions are lifting up
bloodstained hands raised inhypocrisy, and heaven turns away
.
The Bible says that yourprayers are noise, your
(34:11):
condolences are detestable, yourrituals are rejected.
And until you free the UnitedStates from the idolatry and
worship of guns, god will nothear nor answer the prayers of a
people who sacrifice theirchildren on the altar of the NRA
.
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