Last night:

Remarks by Vice President Harris at the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies 28th Annual Awards
MAY 24, 2022
[….]

7:06 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: [….]

Tonight is a rough night. We planned for a great celebration, but I’m sure most of you have heard the tragic news about what has happened in Texas.

So I had prepared comments about tonight, which I will speak, but I just first want to begin by saying a few words about the tragedy that occurred today in Uvalde, Texas.

As many of you now, the reports are that there was a mass shooting at an elementary school, and the preliminary reports are that 14 children have been killed. And the details are still coming in, and of course the President and I are monitoring the situation closely.

So while we don’t know all the details yet, we do know that there are parents who have lost children, families that have lost children and their loves ones, of course, and many others who may have been injured.

So, I would normally say in a moment like this — we would all say naturally — that our hearts break, but our hearts keep getting broken.

You know, I think so many — there’s so many elected leaders in this room. You know what I’m talking about. Every time a tragedy like this happens, our hearts break, and our broken hearts are nothing compared to the broken hearts of those families. And yet, it keeps happening.

So, I think we all know and have said many times with each other: Enough is enough. Enough is enough.

As a nation, we have to have the courage to take action and understand the nexus between what make for reasonable and sensible public policy to ensure something like this never happens again.

So, the President will speak more about this later. But for now, I will just say to the people of Uvalde: Please know that this is a room full of leaders who grieve with you. And we are praying for you, and we stand with you.

And it is difficult at a time like this to think about much else, but I do look around this room and I know who is here, and I know this is a room full of American leaders who know and have the courage to take a stand.

And so let us, tonight, as we do every time we all get together, recommit ourselves to having the courage to take action.

[….]