Senators approve resolution honoring Las Vegas shooting victims

Senators approved a resolution on Monday evening honoring the victims of a mass shooting in Las Vegas earlier this month. 

The Senate passed the resolution, from Sens. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), by unanimous consent before wrapping up for the day. 

The resolution condemns the “brutal and senseless” shooting, as well as recognizing those killed, injured or those “who attended the event, but were not physically injured, and are dealing with symptoms of post-traumatic stress or seeking grief counseling.” 

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“[The Senate] recognizes the spirit and resilience of the Las Vegas and Nevada communities,” according to the resolution. 

Fifty-eight people were killed, and more than 500 injured, during a shooting on Oct. 1 at a country music festival in Las Vegas—marking the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. 

“I’m extremely grateful for all of the first-responders, law enforcement officers, medical staff, and heroes in the crowd who ran toward violence and chaos that night in order to help,” Heller said in a statement. 

Masto added: “I am grateful for the tremendous outpouring of financial, physical, and emotional support to our grieving community, and I take pride in the resilience and strength that Las Vegas has shown.” 

The resolution, which also recognizes first responders and law enforcement officials, also notes that President Trump called the shooting “an act of pure evil and said that unity cannot be shattered by evil.”

The Senate’s resolution comes as lawmakers are grappling with how to respond to the shooting. 

Democrats want to pass tougher gun control and background check laws, including banning “bump stocks”—which can be used to simulate automatic gunfire with a semi-automatic weapon.

Several Republicans have asked the Trump administration to review a decision from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive (ATF) which found that a bump stock “is a firearm part and is not regulated as a firearm under the Gun Control Act or the National Firearms Act.”

Authorities have said that guns used by the suspect, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, had been modified with bump stocks.