John —

It’s hard to know where to begin.

I’ve spent countless hours on that Monterey Park intersection, at Garfield and Garvey, when I had the honor of representing that beautiful city. At community events, parties, and, yes, Lunar New Year celebrations. It’s the beating heart of the region.

And now ten people are dead, and ten others injured, because of yet another mass shooting. Right in our backyard.

That a mass shooting happened on a day of joy, of celebration, on Lunar New Year, makes it even more painful. That such tragedies take place every week is unendurable.

Today, our hearts are with the people of Monterey Park, to help them grieve, and recover. Tomorrow, we must finally act.

Although the city is now outside my district, I represented Monterey Park for more than a decade in Congress. The people of Monterey Park are good and decent people, who know their neighbors and look after one another. And on Lunar New Year, they were out all day celebrating with their family and friends.

We don’t know the motivations yet for this particular shooting, which will require a thorough investigation. But the last three years have been so incredibly difficult for the AAPI community. And this latest shooting is yet another horrifying event that will only rekindle fears.

Mass shootings are a uniquely American problem. Gun violence at this level is a uniquely American problem. And our lack of will to act is a uniquely American problem.

A problem with our body politic, and with the Republican Party, too cowed by the National Rifle Association and its base to act.

To ban assault weapons. To establish universal background checks. To set age restrictions. To allow victims to sue negligent dealers and manufacturers. To keep guns out of the hands of felons and those who pose a danger to themselves and others.

To act.

California has some of the toughest gun safety laws on the books. But because we as a nation — and Republican Senators in particular — refuse to act, we can’t stem the tide of mass shootings and mass death. Guns cross state borders as easily as people do.

We must. We simply must. We simply must act.

On Saturday the shooting was in my backyard. Tomorrow, or the next day, it will happen somewhere else.

But until we act, more communities will join the long list of cities and towns torn apart by gun violence. Communities no longer known for their vistas or people, but for tragedies.

Let’s act.

— Adam