Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, U.S. Sen. Patty Murray and other public officials across the state are issuing statements in response to the shooting Sunday night in Las Vegas that at last report had killed 58 people and injured more than 500.
Here are their comments:
• Gov. Jay Inslee:
“It’s difficult to conceive of the horrific violence suffered in Las Vegas last night. Trudi and I, and all Washingtonians, pray for the hundreds wounded or fighting now for their lives, and grieve for the dozens killed.
“Law enforcement responded with incredible courage, and responders immediately began treating the hundreds of victims. There are already heroic stories emerging of strangers protecting those near them during the shooting.
“We can draw inspiration from those stories as we heal together in the days and weeks to come. This horrific act has shaken us all to our core.”
• U.S. Sen. Patty Murray:
“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. 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?”
• Jenny Durkan, former U.S. Attorney and Seattle mayoral candidate:
“All of us woke up to horrific and heartbreaking tragedy in Las Vegas, and our hearts are with the victims, families, and first responders facing unspeakable pain. These brutal and senseless acts only seem to escalate in scale or audaciousness. Virginia Tech. Sandy Hook. The Pulse Nightclub. A congressional baseball practice. Every time we as a country respond with anguish and horror. And yet we do little to stop the next terrible act. We must do more. We should not pretend this is not preventable. We should not accept this is an unavoidable consequence of Constitutional freedom. We should not allow this to become normal. If Washington D.C. cannot act, Washington state and Seattle should. We can and should work together to enact rigorous laws to prevent these attacks.”
• King County Council members Reagan Dunn, Kathy Lambert and Pete von Reichbauer:
“As citizens across this nation and world react to the tragedy in Las Vegas, we ask fellow residents of King County to join us in donating financial support to provide relief to the victims and families of this horrific act of violence.”
The GoFundMe me account was created Monday morning by Clark County (Nevada) Commission Chair Steve Sisolak.
• King County Council Chair Joe McDermott and Council members Claudia Balducci, Rod Dembowski, Larry Gossett, Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Dave Upthegrove:
“We are devastated by this tragedy in Las Vegas, as are all Americans. Senseless gun violence has gained a foothold in almost daily life in our country, with communities around the country losing loved ones and being torn apart by tragedy and trauma.
“This horrific attack – the worst mass shooting in modern American history coming only 15 months after the previous record setting mass shooting in Orlando – puts a fine point on this tragic reality. We must come together to honor those we lost last night, support the hundreds of survivors still recovering and comfort their loved ones in this time of shock and grief.
“But we also must come together to demand action from our federal leaders to address access to weapons of war in our communities. Solutions exist, and words of sympathy are not enough.
“Failure to act at the federal level continues to put King County, and every community in America, at risk – and this remains simply unacceptable.”
