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

“Two years ago today, our nation was shaken by the murders of 17 students and educators in Parkland, Florida. And yet, as we grieved the lives we lost, the survivors of this horrific massacre took action. They marched to honor their fallen friends and teachers, and they demanded their representatives pass commonsense laws to end gun violence. No matter what the NRA says, we aren’t powerless to prevent these tragedies. They are not normal. They are not acceptable. They are not inevitable. And on this anniversary, we must honor the lives we’ve lost by continuing our work to ensure such tragedies become a thing of the past.

“No child should be afraid to go to school. No American should be afraid to go to work or their place of worship. No human being should be afraid to go to a shopping mall or baseball field, nightclub or movie theater, concert or college campus. The courage of the Stoneman Douglas students and families will long outlast the cowardice of the Republican Party and the cruel indifference of the NRA. And one day, we will no longer live in a nation that sees its children murdered and does nothing.”