Senator Murray statement on Las Vegas mass shooting: Gun safety – ‘If not now, when?’

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) said Monday she refused to believe that a political solution could not be found to curb gun violence.

“I refuse to believe the politics are too tough to come together to enact common sense policies and do whatever we possibly can to keep our children safe — or that we should sit by as innocent Americans suffer rampant gun violence that is unmatched in any other country in the world,” Murray said in a statement the morning after more than 50 people were killed and 500 injured when a gunman opened fire on a music concert on the Las Vegas strip.

Murray released the following statement following the deadliest mass shooting in U.S history:

“Yet again, Americans awoke today to news of a horrific, senseless shooting that left so many innocent people dead and forced our first responders to risk their lives and run head first into chaos. As a mother and grandmother myself, my heart hurts for the many parents who just got the call that their child is among the victims. These calls are far too familiar to families in every corner of our country, including my home state of Washington, where community after community has been turned upside down by violence. That includes Freeman High School in Spokane County, where families are still dealing with the aftermath of a deadly shooting that happened barely two weeks ago.

“No parent should have to worry whether their child will return home safe from a day at school. No child should have to worry about whether their parent will return home safe from a night at a concert. And none of us should fall back on justifications, blame, or tweeted thoughts and prayers and think we’ve done enough to keep our families, friends, and neighbors safe.

“Like so many people, I refuse to believe the politics are too tough to come together to enact common sense policies and do whatever we possibly can to keep our children safe — or that we should sit by as innocent Americans suffer rampant gun violence that is unmatched in any other country in the world,” Murray said. “Many people may read this and say now is not the time to talk about gun safety, but like so many moms and dads in our country, I want to know – if not now, when?”

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