Senate passes resolution honoring victims of Capital Gazette shooting

The Senate passed a resolution on Thursday honoring the victims of last month’s shooting at the headquarters for the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Md.

The resolution — spearheaded by Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin (D) and Chris Van Hollen (D) — cleared the Senate by unanimous consent exactly two weeks after the shooting that left five people dead and several others injured.

“I ask every member of the Senate, every member of this Congress, every elected official and every citizen: Let’s work harder to find a way to end the violence,” Van Hollen said from the Senate floor.

In a separate floor speech, Cardin said Congress needs to act. “We must show that we can protect the American people,” he said.

The Senate resolution mentions the names of the five victims of the shooting — Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith and Wendi Winters — and honors the survivors of the shooting, the Capital Gazette staff and law enforcement.

The resolution also reaffirms the Senate’s commitment to “defending the First Amendment” and “honors media and journalism as core institutions” of U.S. democracy.

The Baltimore Sun reported last month that the alleged shooter, Jarrod W. Ramos, 38, has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder.