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Dispatches from Washington: Congressional delegation mourns in Las Vegas in the wake of mass shooting on Strip

Megan Messerly
Megan Messerly
CongressOctober 1Yucca Mountain
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The attention of Nevada’s entire congressional delegation was fixed on Las Vegas this week, where a gunman opened fire on a country music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, killing 58 and injuring another 489.

In the wake of the tragedy, all six members of the congressional delegation spent time in Las Vegas, visiting with the injured victims in local hospitals, attending candlelight vigils for those who died and thanking first responders for their quick work in aiding the injured and locating the suspect. The lawmakers also met with President Donald Trump, who visited Las Vegas on Wednesday to spend time with the injured at University Medical Center and thanked law enforcement officers at Las Vegas Metro Police Department headquarters.

Lawmakers, typically composed and rehearsed, offered heartfelt remarks and reeled at the sheer magnitude of the mass shooting. Congressman Ruben Kihuen visited Sunrise Hospital at about 3:30 a.m. on Monday, a few hours after the shooting.

“I almost wish I hadn’t been there. Every single bed taken, every single room taken, every single hallway taken, people literally dying right in front of my face,” he said.

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto’s niece was one of the 22,000 in attendance at the Route 91 Harvest country music festival which the suspect, 64-year-old Stephen Paddock, targeted from his hotel room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. Cortez Masto said on Wednesday that her niece was “doing great” except for the fact that “like many of the survivors, there are times you have this grief.”

The lawmakers also called for action in the wake of the incident, from asking the airline industry to aid victims and families to urging Congress to pass a ban on the devices recovered from Paddock’s hotel room that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire as rapidly as automatic ones.

Though it offers only a glimpse into a fraction of the public remarks the delegation members made this week, here’s a rundown of what the lawmakers put out in their official media releases. As always, we kept the actual punctuation and capitalizations within the news release subject lines.

CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO

Number of press releases issued this week: 8

The details: Apart from visiting with victims in the hospital, Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, along with her Republican colleague Dean Heller, urged airlines to expand customer assistance efforts, implement “economically sensitive airfare and fee policies” and ensure “any and all” prompt refunds for flights. They sent a follow-up letter Thursday asking airline companies to send personnel to the convention center to support families and provide discounted transportation charges for the remains of those who perished in the mass shooting.

“As we continue to do everything we can to assist the victims and their loved ones from Sunday night's senseless shooting in Las Vegas, we wanted to encourage you to consider additional policies that would ease travel for families at this difficult time,” the senators wrote. “Your focus and attention to the victims, the deceased, and those closest to them will ensure one less painful experience in the devastation of this week's events.”

The Democratic senator also co-sponsored California Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s bill that would ban the use and sale of so-called bump stocks, devices that convert semi-automatic firearms into essentially automatic ones. She lauded the announcement from the National Rifle Association that they would be open to a review of bump stocks.

“I look forward to hearing from the NRA, and many other groups and advocates, on their ideas for the common sense gun safety legislation our country needs to make sure that the terror that came to our community never visits another one in America,” Cortez Masto said.

Press release subject lines:

  • 10/2: Cortez Masto Statement on Route 91 Harvest Festival Attack
  • 10/3: Cortez Masto, Heller Urge Airline Industry to Aid Las Vegas Massacre Victims, Families
  • 10/4: Cortez Masto: Congress Must Protect the Public Safety of the American People
  • 10/4: Sen. Cortez Masto to donate blood at United Blood Services
  • 10/5: HAPPENING SOON: Sen. Cortez Masto to donate blood at United Blood Services
  • 10/5: Cortez Masto Statement on Importance of Donating Blood in Wake of Las Vegas Attack
  • 10/5: Cortez Masto, Heller Send Follow-Up Letter to Airlines Requesting Further Aid for Victims and Families of Las Vegas Massacre
  • 10/5: Cortez Masto Statement on National Rifle Association Announcement

JACKY ROSEN

Number of press releases issued this week: 5

The details: Like her fellow Democrat in the Senate, Rep. Jacky Rosen called on Congress to take action to address gun violence to prevent another deadly mass shooting in the future.

“Now is the time. We must act, so that families don't have to experience the grief and suffering that Las Vegas and its people are going through right now,” Rosen said.

She also co-sponsored a House version of the Senate bill to ban the manufacture, possession, transfer, sale or importation of bump stocks.

"It is sickening that a dangerous device like this is being sold commercially to increase the carnage of gun violence," Rosen said. "There should be bipartisan support for this type of common sense solution.”

Press release subject lines:

  • 10/2: ROSEN STATEMENT ON ROUTE 91 HARVEST FESTIVAL SHOOTING IN LAS VEGAS
  • 10/2: ADVISORY -- AT 10:20 AM PST -- REP. ROSEN TO VISIT SUNRISE HOSPITAL
  • 10/4: ROSEN STATEMENT ON SENSELESS TRAGEDY IN LAS VEGAS, NEED FOR MEANINGFUL ACTION
  • 10/4: ROSEN, KIHUEN HELP INTRODUCE REP. CICILLINE'S AUTOMATIC GUNFIRE PREVENTION ACT
  • 10/5: REP. JACKY ROSEN HONORS THE MEMORY OF FIRST SERGEANT CHARLESTON HARTFIELD

DEAN HELLER

Number of press releases issued this week: 4

The details: Republican Sen. Dean Heller, apart from urging airlines to aid shooting victims and their families, called for a different type of action on bump stocks on Friday.

Heller, along with several of his Republican colleagues, urged the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to review legal guidance given under the prior administration about the devices and issue an updated interpretation.

“Given the function and capability of a semi-automatic rifle that is modified by a bump stock, we respectfully request that you review the Obama Administration’s interpretation and issue your own interpretation,” the group of senators wrote to the ATF. “Unfortunately, we are all now keenly aware of how this device operates and believe that this renewed review and determination will keep our citizens safe and ensure that federal law is enforced.”

Press release subject lines:

  • 10/2: Heller Statement on Las Vegas Shooting
  • 10/3: Heller, Cortez Masto Urge Airline Industry to Aid Las Vegas Massacre Victims, Families
  • 10/3: Heller, Cortez Masto Send Follow-Up Letter to Airlines Requesting Further Aid for Victims and Families of Las Vegas Massacre
  • 10/5: Heller Urges Review of Obama-era Bump Stock Ruling

DINA TITUS

Number of press releases issued this week: 4

The details: Democratic Rep. Dina Titus, along with her two Democratic colleagues in the House, signed onto legislation that would ban the possession, sale or importation of the bump stock devices discovered by police in the gunman’s hotel room. Titus also personally delivered a letter to White House staff requesting that the president hold a meeting with her and 95 other members of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.

“Today I sent President Trump a clear message: We cannot be a nation that just responds to tragedies with silence,” Titus said. “We must take immediate action to prevent them. We cannot wait any longer. Too many of our communities have been affected and too many lives have been lost.”

In unrelated news, Titus also issued a statement on the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office’s analysis on legislation to revive the long stalled Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, calling it “seriously flawed.” She said it doesn’t take into account an estimated $95 billion needed to build the repository, the fact that the Nuclear Waste Fund will diminish in the coming years as older nuclear power plants shut down and only projects costs for 10 years without accounting for the lifetime of the project.

Press release subject lines:

  • 10/2: Titus Statement on Las Vegas Strip Shooting
  • 10/4: Reps. Titus, Cicilline Introduce Automatic Gunfire Prevention Act
  • 10/4: IN VEGAS MEETING, TITUS INVITES TRUMP TO MEET WITH HOUSE GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION TASK FORCE
  • 10/6: Titus Statement on Yucca Mountain CBO Report

RUBEN KIHUEN

Number of press releases issued this week: 3

The details: Like his two other Democratic colleagues in the House, Kihuen co-sponsored legislation to ban bump stocks.

“It is chilling to think how many more individuals could be alive today had these weapons not been modified to fire as rapidly as an automatic weapon,” Kihuen said. “Mass shootings have become an all too often occurrence in America, and we cannot become desensitized to this violence.”

In unrelated news, Kihuen also announced his disappointment that the Trump Administration did not extend the deadline for renewal of applications to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

“The October 5th deadline imposed by the administration is arbitrary and burdensome. House Speaker Ryan and House Republicans must join Democrats in bringing the bipartisan Dream Act to a vote now to allow for permanent legal solution for thousands of talented DREAMers affected by the termination of the DACA program,” Kihuen said.

Press release subject lines:

  • 10/2: REP. KIHUEN: LAS VEGAS SHOOTING A DESPICABLE ACT OF VIOLENCE
  • 10/4: KIHUEN, ROSEN HELP INTRODUCE REP. CICILLINE'S AUTOMATIC GUNFIRE PREVENTION ACT
  • 10/5: REP. KIHUEN DISAPPOINTED AT TRUMP ADMINSTRATION’S FAILURE TO EXTEND DACA DEADLINE

MARK AMODEI

Number of press releases issued this week: 2

The details: Republican Rep. Mark Amodei, who represents Northern Nevada, traveled to Southern Nevada this week to mourn alongside Las Vegans in the wake of the mass shooting. Not known for his verbosity in press releases, Amodei put out a short statement on the shooting.

“Unfathomable evil. Attacking harmless people who like listening to music – I don’t have the words. Our hearts go out to the victims and families of this terrible tragedy. It’s a sad day,” Amodei said.

He also mourned the death of Don Carano, one of the most influential figures in Reno history who revolutionized the local gaming and resort industry. Carano passed away Tuesday night at 85.

“It’s a sad thing to have to say goodbye to one of the Silver State’s premier icons. Don was a true family man, a loving father and grandfather, a devoted husband, and a Reno native with a strong commitment to Nevada’s success,” Amodei said. “He was also a true pioneer, instrumental in the development of Reno’s business community, and a special part of the enhanced fabric of our state.”

Press release subject lines:

  • 10/2: Amodei Responds to Las Vegas Shooting
  • 10/2: Amodei Statement on the Passing of Don Carano
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