One member of Congress is fed up with moments of silence that follow mass shootings in the United States.
The Huffington Post reported that Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said he will no longer participate in the moments of silence on the House floor after these shootings.
Himes tweeted his sentiments Sunday night after the shooting massacre at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that resulted in 49 deaths and the death of the gunman, as well as over 50 injuries.
It is regarded as the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
Himes' sentiments echo some of those who used the hashtag #PrayforOrlando to share frustrations with what they consider passive measures in response to gun violence in the country.
"We've done a half-dozen of these already this year," Himes told Slate Monday. "As I told someone else yesterday, we should be shouting the names of the people who are killed in preventable violence, not standing there in some mock and tepid ritual of sanctity -- this smug 'We care' statement in the face of gross negligence. I'm not going to be part of it anymore."
"'Thoughts and prayers' are three words that cost you nothing. I’m sick of it. Show some courage," Himes said. "There’s an array of pathetic arguments with the ideologues you hear, that we can’t ever end gun violence. That’s true. We’re not going to end polio or cancer, either, but we can take some huge strides."
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