Did Minnesota Attorney Keith Ellison mock the concept of “thoughts and prayers” after the deadly attack at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis?
Not according to Ellison, who professed during a radio show appearance last week that he is “a very religious person.”
On Friday, Fargo-based radio host Scott Hennen interviewed Ellison during his live program on WZFG-The Flag. During the interview, Hennen brought up a speech Ellison delivered at a vigil for the victims of the shooting at Annunciation.
“I got a vibe from (your speech) that you were suggesting that prayers and thoughts and things where people are using for their own personal beliefs to deal with this grief was bad,” Hennen told Ellison. “And you turned it into sort of a political statement about guns.”
“Were you mocking prayers and thoughts and whatnot in that conversation?” asked the radio host.
“No, no,” Ellison answered. “Let me just share with you this, man. I am a very religious person. I pray every day. I get up before the sun does, to pray. To ask God to intervene in my life, strengthen me, and to guide me to do the very best I can do.”
“I’m a praying person,” continued Ellison. “I believe the prayers of the righteous availeth much. I’m a prayer. So, never would I ever even dream of mocking prayer. But, I always pray for things. I don’t pray just to be praying in the abstract. I pray for strength. I pray for resolve. I pray to be honest even if my honesty is gonna hurt me.”
“That’s what I pray for,” Ellison stated. “And I do pray that our society can come together to end this scourge of gun violence. Gun violence is the number one killer of our kids.”
Ellison, who is Muslim, said he believes God answers prayers, God “helps those who help themselves,” and God “wants us to love one another, help one another, and take action.”
‘Thoughts and prayers, baby. You bet.’
During his Aug. 27 speech at the vigil, Ellison said, “Dearly beloved, it is right and it is just for us to send thoughts and prayers to the victims of this horrible crime.”
“But my thoughts, and what I’m thinking about, is a national ban on assault rifles. My prayer is a national ban on these assault rifles. And you should know that when we used to ban them assault rifles, we used to keep a lot more people alive than we do now.”
“We need to think and pray about banning these weapons of war,” continued Ellison. “My thoughts are about the lawsuit I filed against Glock, and my prayer is that we make them change that damn gun so that ya can’t just turn it into a machine gun by putting a $10 doohicky in it.”
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison uses a vigil for Annunciation shooting victims to call for a "national ban on assault rifles," promote his lawsuit against Glock
"We need to think and pray about banning these weapons of war … Yes, I'm thinking, I'm praying. Thoughts… pic.twitter.com/6C6qP6nrMa
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) August 29, 2025
The attorney general went on to say that his prayer is that gun retailers “will actually check the credentials and the behavior” of gun purchasers. He also talked about the need to stop people who illegally purchase firearms for others who are not allowed to possess them.
“Yes, I’m thinking, I’m praying,” said Ellison. “Thoughts and prayers, baby. You bet. I am praying for a Supreme Court that will not green light guns on the streets of our nation! I’m praying for that! That’s what I’m asking God for today! Thoughts and prayers, absolutely. But don’t just say ‘oh, thoughts and prayers’ and you ain’t willing to do anything about it.”
Ellison rejects connection between shootings and transgenderism
During his radio interview, the two-term DFL attorney general discussed a number of issues with Hennen, a noted conservative radio host. In that discussion, Hennen rhetorically asked what the definition of an assault rifle is.
“Well, you know, look,” Ellison responded. “I think that conversation is one where we can quibble all day long. Everybody knows what an assault rifle is; let’s start with an AR-15, let’s start will all that. But I don’t want to get bogged down in, I don’t want to just get wrapped up in this.”
The attorney general also rejected Hennen’s concerns about connections between shootings and transgenderism.
“That one I can’t go with you, and here’s why I don’t agree,” said Ellison. “If you look at the demographics of who does these mass shootings, it’s overwhelmingly young men. So, I mean that might be that one person’s problem who did that thing, but overwhelmingly that’s not really what’s driving this.”
The gunman who killed two children and injured many others at the Annunciation shooting was born Robert Westman. In 2020, Westman’s name was changed to Robin. An order granting the name change said “Minor child identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”
During his radio interview with Hennen, Ellison did concede that most gun dealers are responsible but said the irresponsible dealers “do a lot of damage.”
Ellison has not announced whether he will run for a third term as attorney general in 2026. Several media reports have included him in a list of gubernatorial hopefuls should Gov. Tim Walz decide not to seek a third term as governor.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
