Overview

• Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance laid flowers at Annunciation Catholic Church, met the parents of Fletcher Merkel and Harper Moyski, and spoke with the parish pastor and school principal.
• At Children’s Minnesota, Vance visited 12-year-old Lydia Kaiser and spoke with 10-year-old Weston Halsne, who underwent surgery to remove a bullet fragment from his neck, as hospitals continue treating wounded children.
• Protesters outside the church and student demonstrators downtown urged gun-safety laws, chanting for action and carrying signs such as “protect kids not guns.”
• Parents, including Annunciation teacher Harry Kaiser, urged bipartisan legislation beyond “thoughts and prayers,” while Vance emphasized tackling root causes and did not endorse specific state proposals.
• Gov. Tim Walz is preparing a special legislative session on gun policy as investigators continue examining the attack by 23-year-old Robin Westman, who fired through church windows with legally purchased weapons before dying by suicide.