WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) released the following statement:

“Words are inadequate to express the heartache of yet another mass shooting. Gun violence regularly takes far too many victims in Baltimore and other cities across the country, but to have a place of worship violated in such a hateful way is inexplicable. My prayers are with the Mother Emanuel AME Church, its congregants and the people of Charleston, South Carolina, at this difficult time. I appreciate the Department of Justice’s swiftness in opening a hate crimes investigation of this tragedy.

“Despite the alarming frequency of such shootings, we as a nation cannot become complacent and immune to the pain and anguish caused by these incidents. Every time a senseless shooting takes place, there should be more and more of us who shout to the heavens in protest as loud as we can. As parents, we have a responsibility to teach our children to focus on the things that unite all people and to view differences as strengths rather than seeds for hate and resentment. As lawmakers, we need to move from a place of political inertia to stop guns from getting into the hands of people who would use them for all the wrong reasons. We’ve mourned too many good people – men, women and children – to stand idly by yet again.”