WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement in response to the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla.

“The mass shooting at an LGBT nightclub in Orlando by an attacker who had sworn allegiance to ISIL is a horrific tragedy and a senseless loss of human lives. My deepest sympathies are with those killed and injured in this terror attack, along with their families and loved ones. My thanks go out to the first responders who saved lives in the midst of such danger. This attack, and others like it in recent years, leave us angry, frustrated and confused. Whatever irrational excuse for the shooting, we as a nation ‎must resolve to stop ISIL from committing and encouraging acts of terror, while also working to ensure guns made solely for the battlefield stay out of the hands of ‎individuals within our borders who should never have them. We need to act immediately to stem the tide of bloodshed – and the hatred that propels it – that has harmed far too many corners of this union.”