The location of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting. Credit: Wikipedia.
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Eight years have passed since 49 people were killed and 53 were wounded in a shooting at Pulse, a nightclub in Orlando.
To mark that anniversary on Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered state and national flags flown at half-staff as a “mark of respect for victims, their families, and the many affected by this tragedy.”
DeSantis has made the order each year since taking office and former Gov. Rick Scott did the same in 2017 and 2018. Both are Republicans.
The shooter, who pledged his loyalty to ISIS, opened fire as the gay nightclub in Orlando hosted a Latin night on June 12, 2016.
Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani, a Democrat who represents the area that included Pulse, posted the names and photos of all 49 people who were killed.
Remembering our 49 angels on this eighth year of the Pulse nightclub shooting. My heart is so heavy. Please continue to uplift their stories and honor them with action. pic.twitter.com/EGoDrKPKnj
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (@AnnaForFlorida) June 12, 2024
The National Democratic Party released a statement criticizing Republicans’ efforts to stop gun reform, including by the NRA, and praised President Joe Biden’s efforts toward gun safety, including the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
“This Pride month, as we celebrate love, equality, and inclusion, this anniversary reminds us of the work left to ensure all LGBTQ+ Americans can live their lives without fear of harassment, discrimination, and violence,” the statement reads.
Vice President Kamala Harris posted about the shooting Wednesday.
Eight years ago, 49 innocent lives were taken at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL—the deadliest attack on the LGBTQI+ community in American history.
Today, we pause to grieve and remember alongside their families, their friends, and the entire LGBTQI+ community. Every person …
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 12, 2024
Brandon Wolf, a survivor of the shooting who now serves as national spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, posted to X calling for a safer future in which young people “know they are loved and valued exactly as they are.”
Our job is to honor them. Not with empty words or hollow sympathies, but with action — a defiant demand for a better future for all of us. A future where we can go to school, the store, or out for a drink without the fear of coming face to face with the barrel of an AR-15.
— Brandon Wolf (@bjoewolf) June 12, 2024
A national memorial was approved by Congress to honor the club in 2021, although work on a physical structure is still in progress. The City of Orlando is filling seats on the newly created Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee after a private effort to build a permanent memorial failed.
Carlos Guillermo Smith, a former member of the Florida House and Democratic candidate for the Florida Senate, posted to X that there is a need for a memorial for the shooting.
“This year’s remembrance has me reflecting on the need to create a respectful Orlando memorial for the 49, and to continue our fight to #HonorThemWithAction by creating a world they’d be proud of — a world where love conquers hate and we can all live free from gun violence.”
Florida Republican state Rep. Randy Fine took to X with the hashtag, “BombsAway.”
Today we remember that #MuslimTerror came to Florida eight years ago today, killing 49 innocents. May we stop it over there so it can never again come over here. #BombsAway
— Rep. Randy Fine (@VoteRandyFine) June 12, 2024
The mass shootings in Orlando and Parkland were a moment of change for gun law in Florida. In 2018, the Legislature approved a law to expand background checks, ban types of guns, and impose a three-day waiting period for handgun purchases. It included “red flag” language allowing authorities to remove firearms from people deemed dangerous.
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