Ed Perlmutter: “Thank you, Mr. Scott. To the members of the Virginia delegation, I am here with a heavy heart, as all of you are. This…”

“Thank you, Mr. Scott. To the members of the Virginia delegation, I am here with a heavy heart, as all of you are. This is the kind of tragedy whose ripples will affect the faculty, the staff, law enforcement, Blacksburg and the State of Virginia for a long time. Eight years ago tomorrow we had Columbine in my area. I live about 2 or 3 miles from Columbine. The emotions that I feel and the grief that I feel for you bring back a lot of memories. I wish I hadn't seen this play before; I wish I didn't know this script. But I can assure all of you, if you need anything, you have friends in Colorado. We have been through this before. It is a difficult time. There will be mourning; there will be finger pointing; there will be all sorts of things. And I would just say to all of you, we feel your pain. Your sons and daughters are our sons and daughters. We will be there, whatever you need. We have been through this. The disbelief and the despair that all of us feel today, we felt 8 years ago. If we can help in any way, you have friends in Colorado.”