by Donald Eng CTNewsJunkie
HARTFORD, CT — Governor Ned Lamont, in accordance with a proclamation from President Donald Trump, has directed that U.S. and Connecticut flags be flown at half-staff effective immediately and through sunset on Sunday, Aug. 31 as a mark of respect for the victims of the mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“The reports from Minneapolis regarding a mass shooting during a back-to-school Mass at Annunciation Catholic Church are devastating,” Lamont said. “Schools and churches should be places of learning, healing, and solidarity. We are grieving with everyone impacted by this disgusting act of violence.”
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz speaks about the deployment of National Guard troops and US Marines in California during a press briefing on June 10, 2025. Credit: Donald Eng / CTNewsJunkie
While residents should be celebrating the return of school, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said, instead they are watching the headlines coming out of Minneapolis.
“My heart is breaking for the victims, their families, the community, and our nation as parents will fear sending kids off to school, where they should be safest,” she said. “This has to stop. It is past time for comprehensive, meaningful, federal action. If we do not take a stand, gun violence will continue to plague our nation, killing our kids.”
Senate Minority Leader Stephen Harding asks a question of PURA Chair Marissa Gillett during a public hearing Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, before the Executive and Legislative Nominations Committee. Credit: Doug Hardy / CTNewsJunkie
State Sen. Stephen Harding, R-Brookfield, issued a statement Wednesday calling the shooting, “Heartbreaking. Horrific. Pure evil.” He added he and the Senate Republicans “join the rest of the country in condemning this senseless, disgusting violence.”
The Newtown Action Alliance, a national organization formed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, in a statement of its own, said “Once again, America is shattered by another horrific school shooting.”
FILE PHOTO: Newtown Action Alliance Chair Po Murray speaks to reporters on Dec. 6, 2017. Credit: File photo / CTNewsJunkie
Alliance Chair Po Murray said Wednesday’s shooting, which left two children dead and 17 people wounded, combined with a Tuesday shooting in the same city that killed one and injured 7 underscored a devastating reality.
“No community, no school, and no child is safe from America’s epidemic of gun violence,” Murray said.
Prayers, Murray said, were inadequate and useless when legislation that could prevent such atrocities sits idle in Congress.
“Congress is complicit in this bloodshed,” she said. “Their failure to pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, or safe storage laws is not negligence—it’s a choice. Each minute they stall, more lives are at risk.”
Republican state Chair Ben Proto agreed compassion was not enough, but pointed to mental illness and lack of support for anti-crime initiatives as the issue.
“Our children and families deserve better than to live in fear that they may not come home from what should be a safe, secure, nurturing, and learning environment,” he said. “Preventing future tragedies means supporting strong anti-crime initiatives, investing in school safety, and rejecting policies that weaken accountability for those who commit violent acts.”