Minneapolis Mayor Frey Critiques Gun Ownership After Tragic School Shooting

During an appearance on MSNBC, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey expressed strong criticism of gun ownership and the Second Amendment, particularly in light of a recent shooting at a Catholic school that resulted in the deaths of two children and injuries to at least 17 others.

At a press conference following the incident, Frey initially remarked on the importance of thoughts and prayers, but later shifted his focus to advocating for stricter gun control measures. He referenced “other countries” that have successfully implemented strict gun laws following similar tragedies while speaking on “A Briefing with Jen Psaki.”

Frey emphasized the alarming statistic that there are more guns in the United States than people. “We have more guns than people in America,” he stated. He questioned why it is so straightforward to acquire multiple firearms, pointing out that these are not just simple hunting rifles but weapons that might legally belong to individuals with, well, apparent mental health challenges.

“If someone is going to a church to shoot people, there’s something wrong with their mental state,” Frey continued. “Yet, the reality is that they possess one—or even multiple—guns. How does that make sense?” He argued that other nations have taken decisive action to prevent such incidents and expressed a desire for the U.S. to follow suit.

Frey’s comments align with calls from various Democratic officials, including Senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who are advocating for reforms that might involve banning certain types of firearms. In fact, Frey’s remarks received positive feedback from Klobuchar and CNN host Dana Bash in a discussion segment that aired later that day.

The term “assault weapon” has been utilized by gun control advocates, referring to specific semi-automatic firearms that possess features resembling fully automatic weapons. Misconceptions often surround this classification. For instance, a semi-automatic only fires one bullet per trigger pull, while fully automatic weapons continue firing as long as the trigger is held down. Recent estimates suggest that over 24 million modern sporting rifles, such as the AR-15, are currently in circulation in the U.S.