January 1, Minnesota Catholic School Attack Sparks Security Outcry

Wyatt’s Take

• Minnesota leaders ignored Catholic schools’ repeated security funding requests.
• The state funded public school security, leaving private schools exposed.
• The attack raises questions about radicalization and gaps in protection.

Governor Tim Walz denied security funding to private and religious schools, despite calls from Catholic leaders after a tragic attack in Minneapolis. The school shooting left two students dead and more than a dozen hurt during a back-to-school Mass at Annunciation Catholic School.

Robin Westman, a 23-year-old who identified as transgender, opened fire on students after posting violent messages online. The shooter’s online posts showed deep anger and threats, including “Kill Donald Trump” and “Nuke India.”

Experts point to the lack of equal security for private schools and say this could have changed the outcome. Amy Swearer from the Heritage Foundation said,

“When we look at what happened here, one of the things that we know actually stops these, these mass shooters, is one, what is the quickness of the response, the swiftness of the armed response, but also the ability to detect these threats in advance and to deal with them and to have secure facilities.”

The Catholic Bishops in Minnesota twice asked for public school security programs to include religious schools, but leaders ignored these requests, even after other deadly shootings in the nation. Jason Adkins of the Minnesota Catholic Conference wrote last year to the governor,

“We need to ensure that all our schools have the resources to respond to and prevent these attacks from happening to our schools.”

Despite this, millions went to public schools for cameras, emergency planning, and other safety measures, but private schools were left out. The Safe Schools Program still does not cover nonpublic schools even after repeated requests.

The FBI says the shooting was an act of domestic terrorism driven by hate for Catholics, Jews, and anti-religious views. FBI Director Kash Patel explained that Westman “left multiple anti-Catholic, anti-religious references both in his manifesto and written on his firearms” and “expressed hatred and violence toward Jewish people.”

Officials now wonder if the shooter’s radical ideas—and even some of his notes written in Russian—point to deeper problems or foreign influence. Former CIA agent Eric Conroy said,

“The shooter’s journal, which had anti-Semitic, anti-Catholic and radical leftist ideology detailed in it…was also written in Cyrillic, which is the Russian alphabet as well.”

The attack also shines a light on how mental illness and gender issues are being treated among young people.

If you care about keeping all students safe, it’s time to demand real solutions for every school, not just the ones chosen by politicians.

Wyatt Matters

Every child deserves protection no matter where they go to school. Our families shouldn’t be left exposed because of decisions made at the Capitol. It’s basic fairness and respect for every parent and student in our communities.

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