WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement on the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.:

“Jill and I join the entire nation in grieving for the victims of this horrific mass shooting. We extend our deepest gratitude to the first responders and to all of the brave individuals who put their own safety on the line to save others. And while our condolences mean so little in the face of such unspeakable tragedy and sorrow, we offer our unconditional support and love to the friends and families of those who were senselessly murdered yesterday, and to those injured who are facing down a long road to recovery.

"As these atrocities grow ever more frequent and deadly in the United States, we cannot allow ourselves to become desensitized to such preventable horror — or become numb to our responsibility to act. I plead with my Republican colleagues to move beyond the extreme positions of gun lobby SuperPACs and special interests who have opposed closing the gun-show loophole, expanding federal background checks, and other common-sense gun safety rules. It’s time for both parties to show political courage and take common-sense steps to keep deadly weapons out of the hands of those who seek to kill innocent people.”