Press Releases

Detroit, MI – House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13) today released the following statement on the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida:

“The shooting in Orlando early this morning, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, is a terrible tragedy, made even more appalling by the possibility that it may have been a hate crime against the LGBT community during LGBT Pride month. I am thankful that law enforcement appears to have prevented another attack against the LGBT community in Los Angeles this morning. As we investigate the facts, treat the wounded, and console the victims and their families, we must not delay in taking action to strengthen our gun laws to close gaps and make us safer. 

“The daily, deadly toll of gun violence on our streets, in addition to the all-too regular occurrence of mass shootings, has long demanded that Congress not shrink from this critical task.  We know that closing loopholes regarding firearms background checks, while not the solution for every such instance, will help reduce gun violence. However, as we approach the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, we are reminded that the system failed us in that situation, yet we have not addressed that weakness in the law. We must take action on a comprehensive set of measures as soon as possible.”