Massachusetts officials are offering their condolences, prayers and comments on gun violence after a mass shooting in Las Vegas Sunday night in which at least 58 people were killed and more than 515 injured.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said that “Boston’s thoughts and prayers” are with the victims and loved ones of the shooting. Gov. Charlie Baker commented that Massachusetts is “praying for the victims, families and 1st responders,” and called the violence “senseless.”
Our hearts break for the victims and loved ones of those in Las Vegas. Boston’s thoughts and prayers are with you.
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) October 2, 2017
MA is praying for the victims, families & 1st responders in #LasVegas. Deeply saddened & horrified to learn of this senseless mass shooting.
— Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) October 2, 2017
Massachusetts House Speaker Bob DeLeo said that he was “horrified and deeply saddened” by the incident and Senate President Stan Rosenberg said he was praying for all those impacted by the “horrific events.”
Horrified and deeply saddened by the #LasVegas shooting. My prayers are with the victims, first responders and families.
— Speaker Bob DeLeo (@SpeakerDeLeo) October 2, 2017
Praying for Las Vegas and all of those impacted by the horrific events. Everyone stay safe. #prayforvegas #mapoli
— Stan Rosenberg (@SenStan) October 2, 2017
Members of Congress representing Massachusetts also weighed in on the shooting, including Representatives Katherine Clark, Joe Kennedy III and more.
A few members of Congress went beyond the typical thoughts-and-prayers message, using the moment as a call to action to prevent further violence.
Representative Seth Moulton said that he was praying that “Congress will have the courage to do more than stand in silence to commemorate them.”
Moulton and Clark did not participate in Congress’s moment of silence following the June 2016 Orlando shooting in which 49 people were killed and more than 50 injured — at the time, the worst shooting in U.S. history, until Sunday night.
Again, Moulton does not plan to participate in a Congressional moment of silence following Sunday night’s violence.
As after #Orlando, I will NOT be joining my colleagues in a moment of silence on the House Floor that just becomes an excuse for inaction.
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) October 2, 2017
Now is not a moment for silence; it’s a time for action.
— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) October 2, 2017
Senator Elizabeth Warren also sent off a series of tweets Monday morning, noting that she is “heartsick” for the victims and their loved ones.
But thoughts and prayers “are NOT enough,” Warren continued. She used her platform to call for a conversation about how to stop gun violence.”We need it NOW,” she tweeted.
I’m heartsick for people in Nevada & across the country who woke up to this news & are worried that their family & friends are ok.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) October 2, 2017
Tragedies like Las Vegas have happened too many times. We need to have the conversation about how to stop gun violence. We need it NOW.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) October 2, 2017
Senator Ed Markey tweeted early Monday morning that he was praying for the victims and their families and thanked the “brave responders.” He followed that up later Monday morning with a series of tweets on what he called the “epidemic” of gun violence.
The epidemic of #gunviolence in our country is not preordained. It is preventable. It is time #GOP stops blocking #guncontrol legislation.
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) October 2, 2017
Markey added specific steps he believes need to occur in our legislation to prevent the next mass shooting, like closing the gun show loophole, barring domestic abusers from being able to buy guns and repealing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Pact. According to Markey, 92 percent of Americans support expanded background checks, as well.
We should be studying gun violence as a public health crisis, Markey continued, and banning assault weapons, which he said are, “weapons of war and should be used in combat, not in our communities.”
Let’s study #gunviolence like the #publichealth crisis it is and fund the CDC’s budget. https://t.co/jbxUGhSbNS
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) October 2, 2017
And once and for all, we need to make NRA stand for “Not Relevant Anymore” in American politics.
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) October 2, 2017
