Eighth grader who survived Annunciation school shooting: ‘Protect us from guns’

Lydia Kaiser, an eighth grader who survived the school shooting in August 2025 at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, on Tuesday spoke out about her experience, saying “elected officials have a duty to protect us from guns.”

Kaiser, who survived being shot in the head, shared her story at a Feb. 24 news conference on gun violence where Gov. Tim Walz announced a series of gun control and violence prevention proposals.

“On Aug. 27, I was in church attending the first school Mass of the year when a gun fired 116 rounds of bullets through the stained-glass windows,” Kaiser said. “Two students were shot and killed. Two students survived gunshot injuries to the head. I’m one of them.”

“Many more students were injured by bullets and flying glass,” Kaiser recalled. “We all hid under the pews. The older students covered the younger students to protect them.”

“I was taken to the hospital and rushed into surgery,” she said. “The doctor removed a large piece, almost half of my skull, to let my brain swell and to remove bone and bullet fragments from my head.”

“I had a second surgery three weeks later to put the piece of my skull back in my head,” she continued. “All children have the right to live free from gun violence in schools, churches, and in our communities.”

“No one should have to go through what we went through,” Kaiser said.

At the conference, Walz proposed 11 different gun restrictions as well as a few proposals to increase mental health support, security, and safety resources at schools.

The desks of Harper Moyski and Fletcher Merkel, the two students killed in the Annunciation shooting, were brought to the state Capitol this week as a reminder “as a reminder of the horror of gun violence,” according to a post on Walz’s social media.

Walz’s proposal included banning binary triggers, firearms without serial numbers, and magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. He also proposed required reporting of lost or stolen guns, increased safe storage requirements, and mandated firearm insurance, as well as a tax on the sale of guns and ammunition.

Minnesota is ranked the 14th most-strict state for gun laws, requiring background checks, concealed carry permits, waiting periods for purchases, and secure storage. Guns are banned from K–12 schools in Minnesota. The state has an Extreme Risk Law, which allows judges to take an individual’s gun if the family or law enforcement believe they are a threat.

Walz also proposed a repeal of preemption laws to enable local governments to ban more guns, laws to “implement gun industry accountability,” and a measure to allow public colleges and universities to restrict visitors from carrying firearms, on penalty of a misdemeanor.

The proposal also included increased mental health support by adding a medical assistance benefit for coordinated specialty care for individuals in early stages of psychosis, as well as creating school support, intervention, and resource teams, defined as “multidisciplinary teams composed of counselors, nurses, mental health professionals, teachers, administrators, and law enforcement [who] will help ensure safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments where students have access to proactive, research-based support.”

Citing increased political violence, Walz also proposed adding staff positions to the Minnesota School Safety Center “ensuring equitable access to safety and security resources statewide.”

“In the past year we have seen gun violence inflict immense heartbreak and loss in Minnesota. It’s time for us to come together to take real, actionable steps toward commonsense gun laws,” Walz said.

On Tuesday, two gun control measures failed to advance in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Rob Doar, president of the Minnesota Gun Owners Law Center, said the bill was based on a false premise.

“Every time the government has attempted to ban something … it does not eliminate those things,” Doar said. “It drives them underground, creates a lucrative illicit market, and only empowers those who are already willing to ignore the law.”

The group opposed Walz’s recent gun control proposals, according to a statement by Chair Bryan Strawser, who said the measures “target peaceable gun owners … while doing little to stop violent criminals who already ignore the law.”

But Strawser noted there is “potential for common ground” on issues like improving mental health resources, crisis response, and school safety measures, as well as “enforcing existing laws against violent offenders.”

“Public safety and constitutional rights can coexist without conflict,” Strawser said.