Pulse Nightclub Shooting Survivor 'Tired of Thoughts and Prayers' on Massacre's 5-Year Anniversary
A survivor of the deadly 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, said that most Americans agree current firearm control measures are not working.
Activist Brandon Wolf appeared on CNN Saturday on the fifth anniversary of the shooting, which left 49 people dead and 53 injured. He stressed that "archaic" congressional procedures and views of transgender people should no longer be an excuse for the country's failure to enact gun control measures.
Wolf was among several attendees at a White House roundtable Friday co-hosted by Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice that discussed anti-LGBTQ+ attacks and gun violence. The White House later issued a statement Saturday that memorialized the "deadliest attack affecting the LGBTQ+ community in American history."
Wolf demanded that gun safety precautions move to the forefront of Washington's concerns, something that he lamented has not happened even five years after the June 12, 2016 tragedy that targeted the largely LGBTQ+ club.
"I will be honest with you, I am existentially exhausted. I am so tired of statements. I am so tired of hashtags and thoughts and prayers. I am so tired of archaic Senate procedure being used as an excuse to do nothing while people in our communities are dying," he said.
Wolf added criticism of former President Donald Trump for his reversal of Obama-era nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people in June 2020.
"Remember at this time last year, Donald Trump was releasing a statement saying that he would take back protections for transgender people going to see their doctor," Wolf added.
"All I am asking is for the people that we have elected, the people that we pay to get things done in Washington, D.C., to actually do something," he continued.
"Most of America agrees that our status quo on gun safety is not working. Most of America does not want to send their kid to school and bring them home in a body bag. Most of America wants to go to a grocery store without being able to find a AR-15 on aisle three."
President Joe Biden issued a statement Saturday marking the five-year anniversary of the tragedy, aligning with Wolf's remarks: "It is long past time we close the loopholes that allow gun buyers to bypass background checks in this country, and the Senate should start by passing the three House-passed bills which would do exactly that. It is long past time we ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, establish extreme risk protection orders, also known as "red flag" laws, and eliminate gun manufacturers' immunity from liability."
Newsweek reached out to the White House and Rice's office for additional remarks Saturday afternoon.
