Democratic senator reacts to Orlando shooting: 'Congress has become complicit' in mass shootings

Following a horrific shooting at a gay club that left 50 dead in Orlando on Sunday, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy slammed Congress for failing to pass significant gun control legislation.

On Sunday, the Democratic senator said that his peers in Congress were "complicit" in the deaths of victims in mass shootings.

"This phenomenon of near constant mass shootings happens only in America - nowhere else," Murphy said.

He continued: "Congress has become complicit in these murders by its total, unconscionable deafening silence. This doesn't have to happen, but this epidemic will continue without end if Congress continues to sit on its hands and do nothing - again."

In recent years, Murphy has been one of the most vocal members of congress advocating gun-control since 2012. As a member of the House of Representatives, Murphy's district included Newtown, Connecticut, where a 2012 shooting left 27 people dead, including 20 children.

In his statement on Sunday, Murphy expressed condolences for the victims, saying that he was saddened by the repeating pattern of mass shootings in the US.

"I'm aching for the victims, their loved ones, and the people of Orlando, and I pray that all those injured have a quick and full recovery," Murphy said.

"I know the pain and sadness that has brought too many communities - Newtown, Oregon, Aurora, San Bernardino, and now Orlando - to their knees, and I can only hope that America's leaders will do something to prevent another community from being added to the list."