Chris Coons: “I am coming to the floor today to join so many of my colleagues who have spoken over the last day to encourage…”

“I am coming to the floor today to join so many of my colleagues who have spoken over the last day to encourage bipartisan cooperation on commonsense legislation to address the gun violence epidemic that plagues our Nation and my home State of Delaware. I want to thank my colleagues, Senators Murphy and Blumenthal, for their consistent and unwavering commitment in addressing this very real national crisis. In the aftermath of the tragic mass shooting of Orlando, I have been filled with many emotions, as have so many of my colleagues--grief for the victims and their families, concern for the city of Orlando, grief for the greater LGBTQ community across our Nation and world, anger toward the perpetrator and the extremists who spread hatred, violence, and fear around the world, and a powerful, deep-seated frustration that our government, our Congress, this Senate, has not taken needed steps to keep dangerous and unstable individuals from getting access to guns. The atrocity that took place at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL, was more than just a cowardly act of terrorism and a despicable, violent rampage of hate against our LGBTQ brothers and sisters; it was also an attack on the very freedoms in our way of life.…”