Two children, just 8 and 10 years old, sat in the pews of Annunciation Catholic Church, ready to celebrate the start of a new school year. Instead, they met a hail of bullets—50 to 100 shots, fired through stained-glass windows by a deranged 23-year-old named Robert Westman. Who goes by another name, but I refuse to indulge in his fantasy.
By the time the smoke cleared, two young lives were gone, 14 other children were wounded, and a Minneapolis community was left shattered. A parent, voice trembling, called it “evil” to the Star Tribune, words that echo what every decent American feels. Yet, before the blood was even dry, Mayor Jacob Frey was out there, wagging his finger, warning us not to “villainize” the transgender community. Really, Mr. Mayor? That’s your first thought?
The Deadly Cost of Politicizing Crime
🚨 JUST IN: Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) CALLS IT LIKE IT IS after a transgender suspect unleashed gunfire on a Catholic mass in Minneapolis.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 27, 2025
"When you “affirm” mental illness instead of treating it, people get hurt."
The correct response. pic.twitter.com/EGss2rNs8C
This is the problem with too many leaders today: They’d rather play identity politics than face the hard truth. Two kids are dead, and 17 others—mostly children—are nursing wounds, physical and emotional, that may never heal. A boy told his father, “I don’t feel safe,” and who can blame him? Westman, armed with a legally bought arsenal—a rifle, shotgun, and pistol—turned a house of worship into a war zone. His YouTube rants, now scrubbed, glorified other mass shooters and scrawled hate like “Where is your God?” on his weapons. One message even called for killing President Trump. The FBI’s calling it domestic terrorism, a hate crime against Catholics. And yet, Frey’s worried about “transphobia”?
🚨 BREAKING: The Minneapolis Catholic School Shooter, Robin Westman, posted a video on Y0uTube just moments before the shooting, displaying a message to “KlLL DONALD TRUMP”
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 27, 2025
MORE DEMOCRAT VlOLENCE! pic.twitter.com/5gJN6Nj56W
It’s like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Let’s be clear: this isn’t about Westman’s identity. It’s about a broken system that let a disturbed individual approach a school with three guns and a manifesto. It’s about a culture that’s lost its moorings, where kids can’t go to church without fearing for their lives.
Governor Tim Jazz Hands Walz, as a broken clock that only gets it right two times, only got it half-right on X, saying Minnesota is “broken” and urging us to “hug your kids close.” But hugs won’t stop bullets. We need to stop wringing our hands and start locking our doors—literally. Schools like Annunciation, with 391 kids from pre-K to eighth grade, need armed security, reinforced entry points, and active shooter drills that actually work. In a perfect world, we wouldn't need them, but this isn't a perfect world.
Updates on the shooting in Minneapolis, Minnesota:
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) August 27, 2025
The FBI is investigating this shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics.
There were 2 fatalities, an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old. In addition, 14 children and 3 adults were injured.
The… https://t.co/ErFZpSieKS
This tragedy isn’t a soapbox for progressive talking points. Frey’s plea to avoid “villainizing” feels like a script from a bad TV drama — think Law & Order SVU pivoting to a lecture instead of solving the crime.
Meanwhile, parents are hugging their kids through tears, and a community is reeling. Pope Leo XIV called it a “terrible tragedy,” and President Trump ordered flags to be flown at half-staff, reminding us to pray for the victims. That’s the kind of leadership we need—focused on healing, not hashtags. Minnesota’s seen enough violence this year, from the targeted shootings of Democratic lawmakers to the three separate killings just the day before this horror. Enough is enough. We can’t bring back those two children, but we can honor them by refusing to let this moment be hijacked by political noise.
President Donald J. Trump orders all flags of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on August 27 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/S9Q18udIwO
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 27, 2025
Now let’s demand schools be places for learning, not targets for tragedy. Let’s restore a culture where kids feel safe in church or school, where parents don’t dread a phone call from the principal. Minnesotans — and Americans — deserve better than leaders who’d rather score points than save lives. Hug your kids close, yes, but keep your eyes open. Evil doesn’t send a warning shot. As my friend Kurt Schlichter would say, always buy guns and ammo. Or anything that will make the mentally ill think twice about shooting up a church.
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