By Eric Stock
CHICAGO – Illinois political leaders have reacted to the mass shooting at a gay club in Orlando in which 50 people were killed and 53 were wounded.
Gov. Bruce Rauner has ordered all flags be lowered to half-staff.
“It was heartbreaking to learn about the tragic massacre in Orlando, Florida. To target a community in celebration is deplorable,” Rauner said in a statement.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said he stands in solidarity with the LGBT community in Orlando and across America but also used the incident to reaffirm his desire to see gun control legislation.
He added that Congress has made itself ‘complicit in the next killing.’
“The bottom line is that we allow dangerous people to buy guns in America and that has got to change. In the coming days, Congress must take a stand against hate, terrorism, and this horrific gun violence.”
According to CNN, Omar Mateen, 29, of Fort Pierce, Florida, carried an assault rifle and a pistol into the packed Pulse club about 2 a.m. Sunday and started shooting.
During the attack, Mateen called 911 to pledge allegiance to the ISIS terror group and mentioned the Boston Marathon bombers, according to a U.S. official.
After a three-hour standoff, police crashed into the building and killed Mateen. It was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
ISIS had claimed responsibility for the killings.
Eric Stock can be reached at eric.stock@cumulus.com.
