ORLANDO, FL. — It has been three years since the June 12 mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida that killed nearly 50 people and injured countless others.
The deadly shooting against the LGBTQ community sparked national outrage and conversations about gun laws in not only Florida but the United States.
On Tuesday, South Bend mayor, Pete Buttigieg, paid tribute to each of the individuals who were killed in the shooting that night and called for stricter gun laws and anti-hate crime legislation.
In part, the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate submitted the following statement to RTV6:
Three years ago an ISIS-inspired terrorist walked into the Pulse nightclub and took 49 innocent lives. It was just a few minutes after last call, and we can all imagine what the moments before the attack must have been like: some people were finishing up their drinks and on their way out, while others were holding onto the night and getting in one last dance. Survivors say that when the shooting started, patrons inside thought the noise was part of the music and kept dancing.
Buttigieg went on to name every single victim of the Pulse nightclub shooting. Which are the following:
Stanley Almodovar III. Amanda L. Alvear. Oscar A. Aracena Montero. Rodolfo Ayala Ayala. Antonio Davon Brown. Darryl Roman Burt II. Angel Candelario-Padro. Juan Chavez Martinez. Luis Daniel Conde. Cory James Connell. Tevin Eugene Crosby. Deonka Deidra Drayton. Simón Adrian Carrillo Fernández. Leroy Valentin Fernandez. Mercedez Marisol Flores. Peter Ommy Gonzalez Cruz. Juan Ramon Guerrero. Paul Terrell Henry. Frank Hernandez. Miguel Angel Honorato. Javier Jorge Reyes. Jason Benjamin Josaphat. Eddie Jamoldroy Justice. Anthony Luis Laureano Disla. Christopher Andrew Leinonen. Alejandro Barrios Martinez. Brenda Lee Marquez McCool. Gilberto R. Silva Menendez. Kimberly Jean Morris. Akyra Monet Murray. Luis Omar Ocasio Capo. Geraldo A. Ortiz Jimenez. Eric Ivan Ortiz-Rivera. Joel Rayon Paniagua. Jean Carlos Mendez Perez. Enrique L. Rios Jr. Jean Carlos Nieves Rodríguez. Xavier Emmanuel Serrano-Rosado. Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz. Yilmary Rodríguez Solivan. Edward Sotomayor Jr. Shane Evan Tomlinson. Martin Benitez Torres. Jonathan A. Camuy Vega. Juan Pablo Rivera Velázquez. Luis Sergio Vielma. Franky Jimmy DeJesus Velázquez. Luis Daniel Wilson-Leon. Jerald Arthur Wright.
Buttigieg went on to say that the attack on Pulse was not just on LGBTQ Americans, but all Americans.
Pulse wasn’t an attack on just one community – it was an attack on LGBTQ Americans, Latinx Americans, and Black Americans. It was an attack on people who look like me, and an attack on people who look nothing like me. It was an attack on all of us. It was an attack on individuals expressing their sexuality, their heritage, their gender, and their freedom.
Change will not just happen. It will only come as the result of struggle – political struggle, moral struggle. We need Congress to deliver on common-sense gun safety laws supported by an American majority, like universal background checks and a ban on military-style assault weapons. And we need to incentivize every state to pass a hate crimes law.
Evil flows from peoples’ ability to see another human being as something other than a person; good comes from the ability to see and treasure another’s humanity as one’s own. That’s also called love, and love is going to win.
Other 2020 presidential candidates offered their remarks through social media on Tuesday, as well.
Three years ago at #Pulse nightclub, we lost 49 lives to hate. I still hold the pain of this tragedy deep in my heart.
— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) June 12, 2019
As president, I will end the NRA's reign & pass gun safety policy to save lives. We can—and we will—build a nation based on love & respect for one another.
When 49 people were murdered at Pulse three years ago, it was an attack on our LGBTQ+ and Latinx communities. Today I’m remembering the victims and their loved ones, and I promise to #HonorThemWithAction by continuing to fight for #GunReformNow. pic.twitter.com/bxrCRLx6bp
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) June 12, 2019
We remember the 49 lives lost to senseless gun violence and hate at the #Pulse nightclub in Orlando three years ago today. We must finally pass commonsense gun safety legislation, and continue the fight against hatred and bigotry in all its forms.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 12, 2019
