Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement to mark six years since the attack at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, which occurred on June 12, 2016:

“Six years ago, a horrifying act of mass murder at Pulse Nightclub stole away 49 lives, injured more than 50 others and left countless loved ones shattered.  On what should have been a wonderful night of music, dancing and celebration, this hateful act instead devastated a sanctuary of safety and solidarity for Orlando’s LGBTQ community.  Last year, the Congress proudly and solemnly voted to honor these 49 beautiful souls by immortalizing Pulse as a national memorial.  And now, we are fighting to protect communities from the scourge of hate-fueled terror and prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.

“House Democrats have taken action again and again to combat gun violence, twice passing widely-popular legislation to secure universal background checks for all gun purchases.  Last Wednesday, horrified by the bloodshed of recent weeks, we further advanced our fight to curb America’s gun epidemic by passing the Protecting Our Kids Act, a bold package of life-saving gun safety measures: from banning high-capacity magazines and outlawing bump stocks to imposing background checks on untraceable ‘ghost guns.’  And on Thursday, we advanced the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act, legislation empowering federal courts to keep guns out of the hands of individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others.  House Democrats are also leading the charge to crack down on hateful violence, advancing the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act to better combat the kind of bigoted extremism that stole so many lives six years ago.

“Shortly after the attack at Pulse, it was my sad privilege to visit with survivors in Orlando.  They shared a simple, urgent plea: that our nation’s leaders honor the memory of their loved ones not with empty words, but with action.  As Americans mark both LGBTQ Pride Month and National Gun Violence Awareness Month, let us renew our resolve to stamp out hate and save lives.  House Democrats remain committed to getting common-sense gun violence prevention legislation across the finish line, and we will not rest until the job is done.”

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