By Rep. Scott Peters

It is with sadness that I write about the horrific attack on Chabad of Poway, a synagogue in our district, on the last day of Passover and the six month anniversary of the horrific shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue.

First, I want to say that I stand in full solidarity with the Jewish-American community in San Diego and across the nation as they grieve this act of hatred and violence. I am thinking and praying for the victims, all those injured in the attack and the entire community. I am also taking action today to ensure that this never happens again.

We’ve endured far too many mass shootings in recent years. I am tired of our government’s failure to pass common-sense legislation to address the epidemic of gun violence.

I know that we have the power to keep weapons of war off our streets and out of the hands of dangerous criminals. As a strong advocate for gun-safety reforms, I have always fought to make these reforms a reality.

We must pass common-sense gun-safety reforms immediately to ensure that not one more life is lost in this fight. It’s our responsibility to take action.

I was extremely moved by what Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, who was injured in the attack, had to say yesterday. I’ll leave you with his words:

“We need to battle darkness with light. No matter how dark the world is, we need to think of light. A little bit of light pushes away a little darkness. A lot of light pushes away a lot more. No matter what religion you’re from…we need to tilt the scale.”

I’m taking a lot of light with me to Congress this week.

Rep. Scott Peters represents the 52nd District, which covers much of central San Diego County including Poway, Coronado, and large portions of the City of San Diego.