On the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub that left 49 people dead, President Joe Biden vowed to make the site a national memorial.
The former nightclub never reopened after the shooting and currently serves as an impromptu memorial. Biden called the space "hallowed ground" in a statement shared on June 12.
A bill to declare the space a memorial passed the Senate and headed for Biden's desk last week. That bill was pushed by Central Florida representatives including Val Demings and Darren Soto.
Biden also marked the anniversary on Twitter, indicating that he plans to move forward with legislation that would make it more difficult to purchase weapons without first passing a background check.
Five years ago, we suffered the deadliest attack affecting the LGBTQ+ community in our history. Within minutes, Pulse Nightclub turned from a place of acceptance and joy to a place of unspeakable pain.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 12, 2021
As we remember those we lost, we must recommit to honoring them with action.
The anniversary was marked both at the site and throughout the city of Orlando, with remembrances both official and otherwise.
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