Them, wishing them the quickest recovery possible. This mad mans actions devastated our city, but i rise today to tell you that that sense of devastation is being replaced by a renewed sense of community, a renewed sense of family, of unity, of faith, and a renewed sense of strength. Ive had the honor of experiencing it firsthand in the eyes and voices of those who survived and those who chose to stay in harms way to help each other when they could have fled to safety. Ive seen and heard this renewed sense of community, strength in the faces of our First Responders, none of whom have ever encountered anything as horrific as the carnage of october 1 but went into danger to save lives. Because . Because thats what they do. I had the privilege of meeting a Las Vegas Police officer, Sergeant Jonathan riddle who was stationed a block from the shooting scene doing traffic work. When he first heard the popping noises, like most of the concert goers, he thought it was fireworks. But the second volley told him otherwise. And his training kicked in. He grabbed his rifle and he sprinted towards the chaos. Keep in mind this Police Officer knew through his training that heavy caliber bullets were being fired and that his protective vest would not stop them. He also knew that his rifle watts useless because the shots was useless because the shots were coming from the mandalay bay and he couldnt shoot at the hotel in fear of hitting an innocent bystander. So he was for all intents and purposes defenseless. He knew it, but he ran anyway. He ran towards the violence. He ran towards it with one purpose to help any way that he could. Its almost not fair to single him out because dozens of metro Police Officers did the same thing. Firefighters, paramedics, ambulance drivers also. It was not just professional First Responders who emerged as true heroes on october 1. Taylor winston, a marine, was just trying to enjoy the concert that night, but when the bullets started raining down, he was driven by his training, his instincts, his compassion for his fellow human beings. He helped several people over a fence where they took cover, but he realized the danger wasnt over. Looking around, he spotted a pickup truck with a long bed. He borrowed the truck. I use the term borrowed loosely, loaded the back of it with injured people and rushed them to the hospital. But he wasnt done. He made a return trip, loaded the pickup again with wounded individuals and got them to the hospital. Jack beatens last act on earth was one of sacrifice and heroism. He draped himself over his wife protecting her from the deadly bullets. He told her he loved her, then was hit and died in her arms. Jonathan smith sounded warnings when he realized what was happening. But when some people were too stunned to move toward safety, jonathan moved towards them getting them out of the line of fire. Thats when jonathan himself was hit. He survived but will likely always have a bullet lodged in his neck. Its a painful reminder of his heroics but i hope it will also remind him of the people that he saved. And john, a cab driver, accelerated towards the screams and the chaos, shouted for a frightened group of girls to jump in his cab. And he drove them to safety. Then john turned around, drove back to the shooting scene, transported another group to safety. In all, john possibly saved 11 lives. There was a woman at the concert, a respiratory therapist, who had her cell phone shattered by a bullet while the cell phone was still in her hand. Shards of hard plastic tore through her hand embedded in her skin. What did she do . Pull the shards out of her hand, band aged herself up, rushed to the hospital where she worked to try to help other people more badly injured. At other local hospitals, doctors and nurses worked miracles around the block. When operating rooms were not available, they treated the wounded in hallways surrounded by shouting, crying, chaos, blood, they saved one life after another after another. Their skill, their composure, their dedication to saving lives was stronger that night than the evil intentions of a mad man with a rifle. I was walking the hallway of one of our hospitals with the hospital c. E. O. When a woman rushed towards him, grabbed him by the arm, through tears and sobbed, thanked him for the work his staff had done. Her niece had been wounded but she was heading home. She said she could never thank the hospital staff enough. In the aftermath, the community banded together to provide every resource possible to the victims and their families. The Las Vegas ConventionCenter South Hall was dedicated to family reunification and support services. Airlines answered the call to provide free flights to the families of victims. Hotels and casinos across las vegas offered free rooms. The American Red Cross partnered with the mirage to host a blood drive. Millions of dollars have been raised by local businesses and people across the country to support the victims. The employees of mandalay bay and other mgm resort properties were understand pably stricken and horrified understandably stricken and horrified and they too asked how they could help. Instead of being frozen by their shock and grief, they mobilized, donating blood, offering help to the families of the victims, organizing memorials and otherwise coming together as a team, motivated by compassion and selflessness and provided comfort and solace. True leaders have emerged in the wake of this tragedy. My friend, sheriff joe lombardo, head of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police department has been steadfast in this crisis. He will always be remembered as a rock solid presence when our city most needed one. He let me say this and let me say this for the world to hear. Our great city will not cower in fear because of this horrible act. We will mourn, we will heal, we will comfort each other. We will pray. But make no mistakes about it, las vegas is open for business. Las vegas will simply will not simply go on, but we will thrive. So come to las vegas and maybe come away with a greater appreciation of what our city, our people are all about. From the blood and the horror, the terror of the carnage of october 1, las vegas has risen. Weve never shied away from our image as a city of entertainment. Our hospitality defines us. But the world has now seen a side much more profound, something weve always seen, and that is a home, a family, a community of people who will stand by each other during the darkest moments. A community of people bound by faith who will stand in the face of danger to protect a neighbor, a friend, a family member, or someone theyve never met. Everyone around the world has heard of las vegas. The very name conjures images almost immediately. Its skylines cannot be mistaken for any other. Yet prior to october 1 almost no one knew the true las vegas, the las vegas that we are seeing now. A city that responds to cowered cowardly violence with love and compassion for each other. A city that responds to hatred with faith and strength. Las vegas strong, its a slogan were now seeing on billboards, marquees and tshirts. But behind that slogan is a true story of true strength. A story of the city growing, emerging and becoming closer and more united. A deranged man with a rifle brought death and carnage and terror to las vegas. But today las vegas stands stronger. Las vegas stands unafraid. Las vegas true identity has been revealed and is one of compassion and one of heroism. It is my hope that we will honor the memory of those lost by holding on to the sense of unity and family that has emerged since october 1, that we will, all of us, continue to be las vegas strong. Mr. President , may god bless the city of las vegas, the state of nevada, and may god bless the United States of america. And i yield back. A senator thank you, mr. President. As the newest senator from the silver state, i am humble to serve and represent my fellow nevadans. We nevadans are very proud of our state, its people and a spirit of Self Reliance and community that guides us every single day. Ms. Cortez masto we are proud of the vast and beauty of our Rural Counties and the energy of our city such as reno and my hometown las vegas. Mr. President , when i was preparing to deliver my maiden speech before this body, my intention was to honor the silver States History and people as well as share the issues that i had planned to fight for while im here in congress, issues that matter to hardworking nevadans. That speech was meant to celebrate nevadas founding and values, to declare the basic right of every individual to education and Affordable Health care, to remind my colleagues of the dignity of equality and the right to marry whom you love. That speech was to proclaim the dignity of women and their right to make their own health choices. To defend the right of immigrants and dreamers to live in our country without fear, and to call on this body to fight for american values, including diversity and inclusion. That speech was meant to demand that our countrys leaders respect every american regardless of the color of their skin or how they choose to worship. Unfortunately, mr. President , my maiden speech on the floor of this body will instead talk about mass murder. Today i want to recognize the courage of heroes and First Responders and honor the wounded and those murdered. And i want to recognize the fundamental dignity of every american in this age of violence and rancor and ignorance, the dignity of americans not to be slaughtered by other americans just for walking outside and attending a conference. With over 43 million visitors per year, las vegas prides itself on warmly welcoming people from all around the world to revel in what we have to offer hospitality, in every sense of the word defines who we are. When travelers come to las vegas, they plan to enjoy themselves in the company of loved ones and friends and become a part of our nevada family. On october 1, a man attacked that family by smashing two windows in his 32nd floor hotel suite and unleashing a barrage of bullets on to 22,000 people attending the route 91 harvest music festival. In ten minutes 58 innocent people were massacred and more than 500 people were injured. At first concert goers confused the rapid gunfire for fireworks. The grim realization that repetitive bursts were not fireworks but bullets came as those in the crowd began to collapse one after another and blood began to stain the ground. This was a concert on the Las Vegas Strip but it looked more like a battlefield. These were innocent people. The human cost of this atrocious act of terrorism is incalculable. Children lost parents. Parents lost children. Friends lost friends. Those who survived the ordeal must not only heal from physical wounds but cope with the mental scars that will haunt them forever. I will never forget the stories that i heard walking through our hospitals and meeting with our First Responders and those recovering from their wounds. Entire emergency room and hallway floors were stained with blood. A Recovery Room in one of our hospitals was turned into a makeshift morgue. A victims phone ringing continuously with calls from her father who would soon learn she would never be coming home. There is one life story cut short for each of the 58 People Killed that night. Weve come to learn their stories. Stories of sacrifice, of courage, and of love. A young man died taking the bullets that would have ended his girlfriends life. A Security Guard was killed on the job. As bullets ripped through the night sky and bodies began falling to the ground, he took responsibility for keeping the public safe by directing the panicked crowd. He made the ultimate sacrifice protecting others. With approximately two million residents, the Las Vegas Area is not a small town, but this tragedy has shown just how strong and connected our community is. And it goes beyond las vegas. There are so many communities across this country that were injured by this tragedy in some way. Many of those killed and injured were visitors to las vegas. All nevadans grieve for those dead and are doing what they can to help the survivors. You know, mr. Rogers has a timeless quote. He says look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping. And as we embrace others and the families of the wounded and those murdered, we recognize so many in the community who helped. Even in the middle of the attack, there were helpers shielding strangers from bullets, and helpers who led people out of the concert venue, helpers who plugged strangers Bullet Wounds with their fingers. There were helpers like jonathan. Despite receiving a gunshot wound to the neck, jonathan saved the lives of 30 people by leading them out of the venue and aiding them and taking cover. He did this even after losing sight of his own family. Jonathan later said i decided i am not going to leave anybody behind. Helpers like taylor, an iraq war veteran who turned a parked utility van into an ambulance. After climbing a fence as he fled the gunfire, he came across the vehicle and he knew what he had to do. Before First Responders arrived, taylor drove roughly 30 people to area hospitals. Other helpers like tammy, also an iraq war veteran, stayed behind to help victims on the ground. Tammy used her e. R. Nursing experience to triage those who were immobile because of their injuries. Despite her best efforts, tammy couldnt save one young woman and had the hardbreaking task of telling a mother that her daughter was dead. Tammy said i will never forget that girls face. I had to tell the mom that her daughter had gone. In the toughest of circumstances, the promptness, efficiency, and professionalism of southern nevadas First Responders and medical community saved many lives and ensured that tragedy did not escalate in further loss of life. Andrew, an ambulance dispatcher, calmly and purposefully directed his team despite it being his first day in his new role. There were doctors across our valley who didnt need a call to rush to our hospitals to help. There were nurses who stayed long past their shifts to help care for and comfort the wounded, and our Police Officers and firefighters ran towards the bullets to help. These First Responders, doctors and nurses knew some of the people they were helping. The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police department, the clark county fire department, American Medical Response, medic west ambulance, community ambulance, the University Medical center, Sunrise Hospital and medical center, the Valley Health system and Dignity Health deserve our deepest thanks for their valor and their unmatched bravery. I also want to honor and thank the red cross and the department of Veterans Affairs who brought mobile units to our hospitals and the volunteer Mental Health counselors who came from all over the country to help provide comfort and support. Ill never forget their dedication as our community grappled with this senseless tragedy. In the days that followed, our communitys compassionate response showed the world who we are as las vegassance. As last vegans. So many unnamed heroes in our Community Stood for hours in line to donate blood. They came to the Family Reunification Center and gave food and water and clothing, whatever they could to help families and those who were wounded. Artists and volunteers created beautiful memorials and prayerful spaces for honor and grief, and local businesses as well as airlines like allegiant and southwest and medical providers like Valley Health systems, medic west and American Medical Response made sure the families of the slain as well as the wounded were provided help, support, and relief from medical bills and travel costs. In less than a week, dedicated volunteers built a beautiful remembrance wall and planted a healing garden for all of us to express our grief, reflect, and to remember. Our city also received an outpouring of support and solidarity from countless fellow americans, state governments, and foreign embassies, and i was personally touched by the outpouring of support from my colleagues in this chamber, and i thank them for it. The people of las vegas came together to heal and protect their community, but they cannot do it all on their own. It has been difficult for all of us to understand the events of the past two weeks, but one thing is clear. We cannot stand by and do nothing. As a lifelong loss vegan, as a lifelong las vegan, i have never seen such a profound community response. In the midst of such horror, i am so proud of my community. I continue to be amazed at the strength and spirit that will help move us forward. But they need our help. The time has come for the people in this room, all of us, to do our part to keep our communities safe. Over the past few weeks, i have heard my colleagues saying things like no law could have stopped that, or you cant legislate evil. While that may be true, we are not helpless. When something bad happens, you can always take steps to understand what happened and Work Together to find a way to stop a future tragedy. We condition cant stop every shooting, but we can do something to prevent the senseless mass murders. Just over a year ago, 49 people were murdered at a nightclub in orlando. Then the deadliest shooting in modern history. My hometown of las vegas has now broken that record. With 58 men and women murdered by one man with multiple guns rigged for combat. This is a horrific distinction to bear. Will we stand by and rate for the nex