Paige Bueckers urges for stricter gun laws as Minnesota teams mourn tragedy after Minneapolis school shooting
The recruit of Dallas Wings, Paige Bueckers, spoke of the school shooting which took place in its original state of Minnesota on Wednesday. Two children were killed and 17 other people were injured in the Annunciation Catholic School during a morning mass.
“I sent prayers … It’s really unhappy,” said Bueckers. “I hope there are more stringent laws on firearms, so that parents do not have to worry about sending their children to school, people do not have to worry about frequenting the church and all these places are sure. It is really unhappy that armed violence continues to be a problem.”
Before winning a national championship with Uconn, Bueckers graduated from Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, a suburb of Minneapolis.
Bueckers is not the only one in the world of sports in Minneapolis to have spoken. The Lynx and Timberwolves of Minnesota have published a joint declaration saying: “No child should never feel dangerous in a place of learning or worship, and no family should undergo such an unimaginable loss.”
Meanwhile, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve described the situation as “disgusting”.
“It is such an indictment of our society, our lack of respect for life,” she said. “There are things that we can do on this subject, and we do not do it, but for any reason, as a American, we appreciate something different. It is disgusting. It’s sad for children, it’s sad for children who have to grow like that. It is sad for children to cross the door and not know what will happen.
“So the hearts go to the lost life, the children who are injured, the teachers who have to go through this family who drop their children in the schools and that their child comes home. Hearts go to them. What is sad is that we cannot sit here and tell them that help is on the way, because we are not going to do a fucking thing on this subject”
The Toronto Blue Jays welcomed the Twins of Minnesota on Wednesday, and they held a moment of silence before their match. The Twins shared a photo of this moment on social networks and thanked the Blue Jays while adding: “It’s bigger than baseball”.
The Vikings of Minnesota also published a declaration describing the tragedy as an “insane and cowardly act”.
“We are devastated by the horrible violence which took place at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis this morning,” the statement read. “Our hearts are broken for the victims, their families and all those who were affected by this insane and cowardly act. We pray for the wounded, those who witnessed the attack and the first stakeholders who were on the scene by providing care and support during this tragedy.”
