“As the community of Oak Creek begins to cope with yesterday’s tragic and senseless shooting inside the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, we extend our prayers to its residents, particularly the families and friends of those injured and killed.

“We await additional information from law enforcement about the motives behind this horrific act, and if it was motivated by hatred and bigotry, we stand united to strongly denounce it. Hate crimes cannot and will not be tolerated by our diverse and inclusive society under any circumstances. New York City will continue standing shoulder to shoulder with its Sikh community as we combat fear with a resolve to remember and recover.

“Gun violence is a national and local epidemic that requires our full attention and resources to combat it. The best way to show our commitment to those we have lost in Oak Creek, last month in Aurora’s mass shooting and in this City is to deepen our commitment to protect innocent people from illegal guns. Stopping the flow of illegal guns and gun control measures such as microstamping and stringent background checks are common sense reforms that will save lives.”

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