Giffords and Kelly, along with Tucson community, react to the Orlando nightclub shooting

Former U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Navy combat veteran and NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly are among several Southern Arizona political and community members who expressed sadness and concern in the wake of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, that left 50 dead and 53 injured.

Giffords and Kelly, who co-founded the gun violence prevention organization Americans for Responsible Solutions, issued the following statement: 

"This is a sad and dark day for this country we all love.

We want to say that this tragedy is unthinkable. But it is not.  

Once again, a mass shooting has torn a community apart. Make no mistake: Our country is in the grips of a gun violence crisis. It claimed at least 50 lives early this morning. It claimed 33,000 lives last year.

Some will say that our nation must accept this as the new normal. Some will say that there is nothing we can do to make our country safer from gun violence. It's not true. We cannot let armed ambushes become the new normal in our country. We have to do better than this. And we can. We have to do more to ensure hatred doesn't find its evil voice in the crack of a gunshot. We are heartbroken that this attack allegedly targeted our country’s LGBTQ community as they celebrated Pride Month.

We are incredibly grateful to the first responders who acted so bravely this morning to save lives and bring this horror to an end. We grieve for those taken and with their loved ones, and we pray for strength for the injured. Our hearts and prayers are in Orlando and with our fellow Americans in the LGBTQ community."

Giffords was wounded along with 12 others during the Jan. 8, 2011 shooting at a northwest side grocery store in Tucson, six people were killed.

A petition page has been setup on the Americans for Responsible Solutions' website where people can add their name to show support for stronger gun laws.

"Tell Congress: Enough is enough, make our communities safer from gun violence by taking action to make it harder for criminals, terrorists, and the dangerously mentally ill to get their hands on guns," Giffords and Kelly said in a press release.

You can find the petition at americansforresponsiblesolutions.org

Here is what others had to say:

"Tucson's heart goes out to the families and friends of the victims of this terrible tragedy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire LGBT community and all of the people of Orlando. We must re-double our efforts to create a society where persons are not hated because of their race, religion, gender, sexual preference, or gender identity.  And we must end the insanity of allowing weapons that serve legitimate purpose only in war, to freely roam our streets.  All of America should weep today."— Jonathan Rothschild, Tucson Mayor

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"This is absolutely devastating news out of Orlando, where an LGBT nightclub was targeted for a horrific mass shooting. Details are still coming in about this attack, but it is already confirmed as the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. We must stand together in this dark hour and keep the victims and their families in our hearts, but we must also look beyond this terrible moment and decide what we as a nation are willing to do to prevent hatred, gun violence and domestic terrorism. People have strong feelings on all sides of these issues -- but I believe there are sensible solutions we can pursue that both respect the 2nd Amendment and keep our communities safer."—Ann Kirkpatrick, U.S. Rep. for Arizona's District 1

"My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families, and all those affected by the terrorist attack this morning in Orlando. While additional facts are gathered about the motivation behind this senseless and devastating carnage, now the deadliest mass shooting in U.S history, reports indicate that radical Islamic ideology played a part. At this time, our hearts are with all those mourning their loved ones and with the people of Orlando." — Martha McSally, U.S. Rep. for Arizona's District 2

“My heart breaks for the victims of last night's attack, for their families and for those in hospitals now facing a long road to recovery. This was an attack on the LGBT community during Pride Month at an iconic location for the community. Nothing could be more heinous. As our nation comes to grips with the fact that this was the single worst shooting attack in US history, I urge everyone to give law enforcement the time they need to do their jobs, and the families impacted the privacy they need in this unimaginably difficult time.”—  Raul M. Grijalva, U.S. Rep. for Arizona's District 3

"Was it domestic terrorism? Let's not play games with words. If you're in that nightclub, you were terrorized. But absolutely nothing about this incident justifies taking some broad brush action against an entire class of people - muslims. And the fact that the guy bought his guns legally in no way diminishes the validity of our fight for background check legislation. Because you can't solve the whole problem with one legislative action doesn't mean you ignore taking the steps that you can."— Steve Kozachik, Tucson City Council member for Ward 6

Last night, a tragic shooting took place in an Orlando nightclub which left at least 50 dead and countless injured. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families and friends and we pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.  Islam teaches reverence for all human life. This is a time to pray and act to stop such senseless violence in our nation.​ — Umer B. Shahid, general secretary and the secretary public affairs for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Tucson Chapter

Shahid attached the following statement from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA:

"The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA urges calm after a shooting in an Orlando nightclub left at least 50 dead and 53 injured. Reports state that the shooter has died following a shootout with SWAT officers. The FBI is looking into whether this was an act of international or domestic terrorism. The shooter has been identified as Omar Mateen.

This is really tragic and sad,” said Dr. Nasim Rehmatullah, National Vice President of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, “Reverence for all human life is the essence of Islamic teaching. This is a time for prayers and efforts to stop such senseless violence in our nation.”

We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured and offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims."