NBC News

By Megan Lebowitz

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., dedicated the first part of her remarks to the victims of recent shootings, including conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, and schoolchildren at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis.

The senator praised the quick response of law enforcement to the Annunciation shooting, saying that a father of an injured child told her that "there is absolutely no way his beautiful daughter would have survived if police hadn't been there."

"It is worth looking at for all of us," she said. "So my focus, on behalf of these parents, because I promised I would do this on Sunday, was just to figure out how we can do anything to stop this from happening again."

Klobuchar urged her colleagues to look into actions that would prevent future shootings, and she asked Patel to look into statistics about the ages of shooters and into strengthening background checks. She also asked if he believed an assault weapons ban would help reduce shootings.

Patel declined to weigh in on drafting legislation to ban assault-style weapons, but he expressed his general willingness to work with Congress on tackling the problem of gun violence.

"Minnesota has suffered untold tragedy in these last few months, and whatever creativity we can use to eliminate even just one shooting, one horrific death, I am in favor of engaging with Congress fully to do," Patel said. "I don't have the answers. I don't know what will eliminate it in its entirety, but I'm willing to engage and explore new ways with you, senator."