On the fifth anniversary of the El Paso shooting, President Biden and Vice President Harris wrote letters on Friday remembering the 23 victims and denouncing gun violence.
“To the survivors and the families of the victims: I know how hard these days can be. Even years later, milestones like this one can remind you how you felt in the moment you experienced your worst nightmare,” Biden wrote.
In his letter, Biden also mentioned the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a law passed two years ago that he said is “already preventing shootings and saving lives.”
However, more needs to be done, the letter said.
President Joe Biden published his letter to the El Paso community on the morning of the anniversary of the shooting on August 3 on X.
Vice President Kamala Harris: Please know that you are not alone
Harris signed her separate letter, referring to other cities – Uvalde, Midland-Odessa and Sutherland Springs – all of which share the pain of the mass shooting in El Paso.
“We continue to call on Congress to pass common sense gun safety legislation – including red flag laws, universal background checks, and an assault weapons ban,” Harris wrote.
Harris concluded the letter by saying that the entire nation stands behind El Paso “today and always.”
On August 3 Harris sent a tweet on the anniversary.
A member of the White House will deliver messages from Biden and Harris
A member of the White House is expected to arrive on the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting at Walmart in El Paso to deliver messages from President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who had already sent two letters to the public.
Gregory Jackson, deputy director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, will attend a memorial ceremony on Saturday, August 3, according to a White House official. Officials did not specify which ceremony.
Click here to see a list of events for August 3rd.
Review: President Joe Biden: On the anniversary of the El Paso shooting, we must “stand together against hate and violence”
US Representative Veronica Escobar
In a statement, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (D-El Paso) wrote that she would continue to honor the memories of those killed in the shooting.
“As Chicago is one of the cities with the largest foreign-born population in the United States, I know that our multicultural roots and upbringing continue to form the foundation for the love, care and beauty that define our close-knit community,” she wrote.
3 August 2019: “Put down your weapons of hate”, sadness and look forward with hope
University Hospital
In a moving video on the University Hospital’s Facebook page on August 3, employees described their quick actions.
Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel reported on the treatment of fellow El Pasoans who were injured in the shooting.
“The memory of this day lies heavy in our hearts as many of the shooting victims were admitted to UMC’s Scherr Legate Level 1 Trauma Center for treatment,” the post said.
US Representative Joaquín Castro
US Representative Joaquín Castro, D-San Antonio, honored the victims of the Walmart shooting by releasing the 23 names of lives lost in the tragedyand condemned politicians who use hateful rhetoric.
“As we remember the victims in El Paso, we must confront those who lead with vile rhetoric. There is no place for hatred in this country,” Castro wrote.
Former US Representative Gabby Giffords
Former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords, a victim of gun violence herself, posted on X that her condolences were with the victims of the shooting and included a list of the 23 people who lost their lives.
“Armed hatred should have no place in our country, yet too often it leads to deadly violence. Americans deserve better. The Latino community deserves better.” We will never stop fighting for a safer future,” she wrote.
El Paso Times Staff
This article originally appeared in the El Paso Times: El Paso shooting anniversary: Biden and Harris push for gun safety
