A gunman opened fire during morning Mass at Annunciation Catholic School and Church in Minneapolis on Wednesday, killing two children aged eight and ten and wounding 17 other worshippers before taking his own life, according to local authorities. The FBI is treating the attack, allegedly carried out by 23-year-old former student Robin Westman, as both a potential hate crime and an act of domestic terrorism. In an emotional press conference, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey rejected the traditional call for “thoughts and prayers,” arguing that such words were insufficient because the victims had been praying when they were shot. His remarks were echoed on social-media posts by former White House press secretary and current MSNBC host Jen Psaki, who wrote that "prayer is not enough" to address mass shootings. Conservative figures swiftly condemned the criticism. CNN commentator Scott Jennings called the comments "cruel" to people of faith, while Vice President JD Vance said it was "bizarre" to attack worshippers "when kids were just killed praying." Republican allies accused Frey and Psaki of politicizing grief, and circulated older statements in which Psaki herself had offered prayers after previous tragedies. The exchange has reignited a familiar national divide over how leaders should respond to mass shootings. Democrats have renewed calls for tighter gun laws, arguing that action must accompany expressions of sympathy, while Republicans insist prayer remains an essential source of comfort that can coexist with policy debate.