Durbin calls for Congress to pass gun control laws

By Rebecca Savransky - 06-12-16 17:44 PM EDT

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Sunday called on Congress to pass new gun control laws following the Orlando, Fla., shooting that left 50 people dead and 53 more injured.

If Congress does not act, Durbin said it would be "complicit in the next killing."

"We have the power to act, and we must," Durbin, the second-ranked Democrat in the Senate, said, according to Reuters.

"The bottom line is that we allow dangerous people to buy guns in America and that has got to change. In the coming days, Congress must take a stand against hate, terrorism, and this horrific gun violence."

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York called the attack a "horrific reminder" for lawmakers about the need for more strict gun control legislation.

"It is far past time for Washington to act," he said in a statement, according to The New York Times.

xThe shooting at an Orlando nightclub was the worst mass-shooting incident in U.S. history.

The suspect, Omar Mateen, was killed inside the club during a shootout with police.

The FBI confirmed Sunday evening that Mateen called 911 before the attack and said his remarks has general connections to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

An official from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Mateen has legally purchased at least two firearms "within the last week or so."

The suspect had been interviewed by the FBI three times before carrying out the attack, which President Obama called an act of terror.