San Diego – Today, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) released the following statement on the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida early this morning:

“My heart is breaking for the victims of this brutal attack, and for their families. I offer my thanks to the brave first responders and law enforcement officers who ran into danger to put an end to the slaughter and help the victims. 

“Without knowing the motive or all of the details, an act of violence this massive shakes us all to our cores. To think that this could have been targeted at Orlando’s LGBT community, that the largest mass shooting in our history is also a hate crime, is horrifying. 

“Confronting individual threats within our borders is one of the most difficult security challenges we face. As we come to know exactly what led to this attack, I pray that my colleagues and I can come together finally to take decisive steps to prevent criminals and suspected terrorists from obtaining weapons of war and keep all Americans safe.”