DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement on the anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which took the lives of 17 people:

“One year ago, our nation witnessed an unthinkable act of cruelty in Florida. But in the aftermath of one of the worst mass shootings in American history, the students and families of Parkland turned their agony into action. They marched, they organized, and they told their leaders they will not rest until our schools and communities are free from gun violence. The Democratic Party won’t rest either. On this anniversary, we honor the lives we lost. We stand behind the students of Stoneman Douglas and all those who have endured such tragedy. And we will continue fighting alongside them for commonsense gun laws.”