Torres says Orlando, FL shooting was ‘preventable’

Joining President Barack Obama’s call for mourning across the nation, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres ordered all U.S. and CNMI flags in the Commonwealth to fly half-staff out of respect for the victims murdered senselessly by a gunman during the wee hours of Sunday morning stateside, the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Torres believes the mass shooting, which occurred in an Orlando, Florida nightclub and took the lives of 50 people, could have been prevented.

“It is unfortunate that we must join in solidarity, mourning the most recent and dramatic loss of life, during times of tragedy that are preventable,” Torres said in a statement yesterday. “From all accounts, the shooter in Orlando purchased weapons legally and broke no laws up to the point he senselessly took the lives of 50 people in the worst act of gun violence in our nation’s history.”

“This highlights the broken nature of our current system and the need for the CNMI to find ways to protect our people in this new environment, Torres said, referring to the U.S. district court for NMI’s ruling last March to strike down the CNMI’s ban on handguns as unconstitutional. The move triggered lawmakers and CNMI Attorney General Edward Manibusan to draft and for Torres to sign sweeping gun control legislation meant to curb and make difficult the possession and use firearms in the CNMI.

“This is why we have increased total spending on our Department of Public Safety in my budget submission and are looking for ways we can strengthen the safety of our people while still abiding by the constitution,” Torres went on to say. “We are also closely watching cases throughout the United States regarding the extent of the Second Amendment, such as the recent Ninth Circuit ruling regarding conceal and carry prohibitions.

“Needless to say, however, this shooting is a real tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends affected by this horrific event.”

In signing the proclamation to order flags at half-mast yesterday, Torres joined Obama in calling the violence as an act of “hatred and terror.”

As of press time, the Associated Press was reporting that authorities were investigating whether the shooting was an act of terrorism and were probing the background of gunman, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old American citizen from Fort Pierce, Florida, who had worked as a security guard.

The gunman’s father recalled that his son recently got angry when he saw two men kissing in Miami and said that might be related to the assault.

Before the Orlando shooting, the deadliest shooting in the nation’s history was the 2007 attack at Virginia Tech, where a student killed 32 people before killing himself.