09/07/2025
It’s amazing how we protect kids from violent pedophiles (a rare anomaly), but offer nothing more than condolences when they are slaughtered in their classrooms. They should be fully protected from both. And I’m not saying we should abolish the second amendment (as we did with prohibition). I’m simply saying owning a gun should carry not less than the obligation of owning a car. Testing. Insurance. License and registration. It’s bad enough that children no longer read. As parents & politicians it is on us for allowing them to be shot in the head. When it comes to sheetrock, mortgages, and title, the government doesn’t let a dime slip through the system. When it comes to children, all that leadership offers is their “sincere prayers and condolences.”
12-year-old Sophia Forchas, who was shot in the head while attending mass at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, remains in critical condition but her doctor reported yesterday that there are now "some rays of hope" that she may survive. A bullet remains lodged in her brain and Sophia has been in a medically inducted coma. “I’m gonna be blunt, Sophia is still in critical condition in the intensive care unit. There’s a chance that she may be the third fatality of this event,” her neurosurgeon, Dr. Walt Galicich, reported. “But the door’s been opened a little bit."
Her father, Tom, also spoke at the press conference, stating: "Thank you to everyone who has helped us through this nightmare... Sophia is strong, Sophia is fighting, and Sophia is going to win this fight for all of humanity." To support the GoFundMe campaign helping the family, visit https://tinyurl.com/uum299hx
Shockingly, since the shooting at Columbine High School, nearly 400,000 American children have experienced the trauma of gun violence at school. While some have been killed or severely wounded like Sophia, many others have lived through the horror of seeing friends and classmates shot or having to hide in terror, praying that a shooter wouldn't reach their classroom door as gunshots echo through their school.
This is not an isolated occurrence -- this is an epidemic. It is a moral stain on our nation that hundreds of thousands of children have lived through such horrors and efforts to enact basic gun safety laws to protect children continued to be blocked year after year.
The rate of gun violence in the United States is now so high that, since 2020, gun violence has been the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the U.S., surpassing car accidents. When it comes to gun violence, the United States is an extreme outlier among other developed nations with a gun homicide rate 77 times higher than Germany and 33 times higher than Australia.
Even basic gun safety laws like universal background checks, restrictions on weapons of war, and red flag laws -- all laws that are widely supported by the public -- have been blocked time and time again in Congress because the vast majority of Republicans have prioritized campaign contributions from the gun lobby over the lives of America's children.
It doesn't have to be this way. Americans should be able to go to parades, grocery stores, movie theaters, concerts, and houses of worship without fear; they should be able to send their children to school with the confidence they will return home.
Dismayed by the lack of Congressional action following the murder of 20 children at their elementary school in Newtown, one mom, Shannon Watts, decided to take action and started an organization, Moms Demand Action. This group of moms fighting for sensible gun safety laws joined together with others working to end gun violence to form a non-profit organization, Everytown for Gun Safety. This group has grown into a movement of nearly 11 million parents, gun violence survivors, gun owners, elected officials, and others committed to standing up to the gun lobby and fighting for common-sense gun safety laws.
Most importantly, they are making a difference, especially at stopping the constant efforts by the gun lobby to roll back gun safety laws at the state level since Republicans continue to block efforts to protect the nation's children at a federal level.
As we pray for the healing of Sophia and the other victims of the Annunciation shooting, now is the time to take action to help prevent the next mass shooting. We owe it to our children and to all the victims of gun violence.
To learn how to get involved nationally or with a local chapter or to donate to support responsible gun safety laws, visit Everytown for Gun Safety at https://everytown.org
---
While it's shocking to others around the world, school shootings have become such a normalized part of American childhood that there are now numerous books for young readers about life after the trauma of experiencing gun violence in school.
For a new picture book about a young girl who survives a school shooting in which her friend is killed, we recommend "After: A Survivor's Story" for ages 5 and up at https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9780807530955 (picture book) and https://amzn.to/42bjwiW (Amazon)
For two powerful books for young readers about the experience of losing a sibling in a school shooting, we recommend "Mockingbird" for ages 9 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/mockingbird) and "The Shape of Thunder" for ages 10 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-shape-of-thunder)
The Newbery Honor book "Simon Sort of Says" tells the story of a boy grappling with moving forward after surviving a school schooling for ages 10 and up at https://bookshop.org/a/8011/9781368099585 (Bookshop) and https://amzn.to/4oYKKmO (Amazon)
"AfterMath" explores the experience of girl who becomes the new kid in a class full of school shooting survivors for ages 10 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/aftermath
For a poignant and ultimately hopeful graphic novel about one survivor's journey toward healing following a school shooting, check out "Numb to This: Memoir of a Mass Shooting" for ages 15 and up at https://www.amightygirl.com/numb-to-this
----
For a moving look at the bedrooms of eight children who were killed in school shootings -- whose families have left them untouched often for years -- visit https://www.cbsnews.com/rooms/
For those who believe that change is impossible, you can read about how other nations -- which once also experienced mass shootings -- took action to change their laws and make safer societies for their children at https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/25/world/europe/gun-laws-australia-britain.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hk8.lXBJ.OCk91dDwl8dX&smid=url-share
To read about the impact of gun violence on those nearly 400,000 children who have experienced it at school, visit https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/28/us/minneapolis-school-shooting-victims-survivors-injuries.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hk8.Y3eC.H7RAr5uMKkUN&smid=url-share
To learn more about the widespread crisis of gun violence in the U.S., visit the Gun Violence Archive at https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/
