[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 157 (Monday, October 2, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S6240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Las Vegas Mass Shooting

  Mr. President, there are precious few words for days like this. Last 
night, as everyone now knows, at a concert in Las Vegas, NV, a gunman 
opened fire on a crowd of 22,000, killing at least 58 and sending 
hundreds more to the hospital. It was the deadliest mass shooting in 
the history of our country.
  Our collective hearts, so hardened now by the absurd frequency of 
these mass shootings, are broken once again. We mourn for the families 
of the fallen, and we pray with the families of the wounded. We have 
the deepest gratitude for every first responder, cop, and firefighter 
who rushed to the scene, as their heroism in the moment of this 
national tragedy has been an inspiration. Yet today we are filled with 
shock and horror, with sadness and rage.
  The horrific massacre was perpetrated by an American on his fellow 
Americans and the visitors from every corner of the world, who are the 
very lifeblood of Las Vegas. We are left with many questions, the 
answers to which we will seek in the coming days and weeks.
  How did this monster acquire the arsenal that he used to rain down 
death on a crowd of innocents? Were these guns purchased and compiled 
legally? What was this person's perverted motive? Was there any history 
of mental health issues?
  What circumstances could lead a man to commit such violence upon his 
fellow human beings--complete strangers--what twisted reasoning, what 
demented logic?
  There is much more that we do not know than what we do know. Some of 
the questions that we have today will not have clear answers. Others 
are, perhaps, beyond our fathoming. Yet some will have answers, and we 
will have to reckon with the fact that this man was able to assemble an 
arsenal of military-grade weapons.
  As much as we might hope to, we cannot banish evil from the Earth. 
Congress cannot do that, and the President cannot do that. What 
Congress can do and what Congress must do is to pass laws that keep our 
citizens safe, and that starts with laws that help prevent guns, 
especially the most dangerous guns, from falling into the wrong hands.
  We will take care of the injured--their bodies and their hearts--and 
nurse them back to health. We will mourn those lost with all of our 
collective love and support. We will bind up this new national wound. 
Then, we will aggressively ferret out the facts, and based on that 
reality, we will confront--we must confront--the deeply troubling 
issues that have been raised by this atrocity.