Rep. Pete Aguilar issued the following statement in response to yesterday’s attack in San Bernardino:

“My heart goes out to the victims and their families during this dark time and I continue to keep them in my thoughts and prayers. I am thankful for our brave law enforcement officers, firefighters and paramedics who put their lives on the line yesterday to end the killing spree.

I grew up in San Bernardino. This is the community my family has called home for four generations. There are no words to accurately convey the heartbreak I feel for my friends and neighbors as we reel from this attack.

We need to acknowledge what happened yesterday for what it was: an act of terror. How many more times will we weep with our neighbors and fellow Americans while our communities are terrorized by the ongoing gun violence epidemic in this country? When will we say enough is enough?

Yesterday, our community fell victim to the mass-shooting epidemic that plagues our nation. Another senseless, barbaric attack. But what’s just as tragic is that San Bernardino is no stranger to gun violence, with hundreds of gun-related crimes this year alone.  

After we mourn our loved ones who have been taken from us in these heinous acts of terror, we need to start taking real steps to eradicate the culture of gun violence and begin making these tragedies less routine so that our families and neighborhoods can start to feel safe again.”