[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8579]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            ORLANDO TRAGEDY

  (Mr. TAKANO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, no words can express the pain and sadness I 
feel for all those affected by the horrific attack on a gay nightclub 
in Orlando.
  On too many occasions, the LGBT community and our country have been 
forced to overcome moments of profound loss, but on each of these 
occasions, we have emerged stronger and more resilient. Once again, we 
will choose love over hate and compassion over intolerance. These are 
the themes of the LGBT Pride Month, and they cannot be lost in this 
overwhelming tragedy.
  This attack forces us to confront two unpleasant facts about our 
country: fact one, hateful rhetoric toward the LGBT people and other 
minority groups is still far too common; fact two, it is far too easy 
for dangerous people to access assault weapons.
  I hope we have the courage to confront these facts and build a safer 
and stronger America. This is what the victims and their families 
deserve.

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