LGBTQ activists protest JD Vance as he, Usha visit Minnesota, pay respects to Catholic schoolchildren murdered by trans killer

Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance visited the Annunciation Catholic Church and school on Wednesday, which one week ago was the site of a mass shooting that saw the deaths of two children after trans-identified gunman Robert "Robin" Westman opened fire on the school’s first mass of the year.

The Vances were seen laying flowers outside the building among a sea of other bouquets and arrangements, with Usha Vance wearing black and JD Vance making the sign of the cross as they stood together. 

In footage taken by the Daily Wire’s Mary Margaret Olohan, the grounds of Annunciation were seen filled with flower arrangements, prayer candles, and other items mourning those two students lost: 8-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski.

Vance wrote after his visit, "I just left Minneapolis, where I was honored to meet with a number of grieving famlies and hear about their beautiful children--in particular Harper (10) and Fletcher (8), who died in the Annunciation school shooting. I also met another beautiful girl who is recovering well, thank God."

"We discussed a lot, but all the families had a couple of immediate requests: First, to pray for Sophia, who continues to fight for her life every day. Pray for her health, pray for her swelling to be controlled, and pray for strength for her parents, doctors, and nurses.

"Second, don't give the shooter the attention, but focus on the kids who were taken from us. I learned that Harper had a smile that could light up the room, that she loved visiting the national parks with her parents, and that she looked beautiful in her first communion gown. I learned that Fletcher was rambunctious and energetic, that he loved football and basketball, and that he had an amazing head of hair.

"Yes, they were taken from their families far too soon.  But in their short lives they made a big mark on the many people who loved them. Let's give them the attention they deserve."

During a visit to La Crosse, Wisconsin in the days following the shooting, Vance said, "there’s going to be a time for politics, and there’s going to be a time to figure out how to prevent this stuff from happening, how to make these shootings less common in our country. And I’m not going to speak about that now, but I would encourage you, the First Lady, Melania, who really has a very big heart for children, obviously is a mother herself, she put out a statement earlier today that I think is really worth taking a look at. Because this happens too much in our country."

He said that there is a "mental health crisis" in the US, noting that Americans "take way more psychiatric medication than any other nation on earth, and I think its time for us to start asking some very hard questions about the root causes of this violence."

"But before we have that conversation, if you are the praying type, I would ask you to join me in prayer," he said, gping on to recite the Prayer for Eternal Rest. "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen."