WASHINGTON, D.C.—In response to the mass shooting at a Texas church on Sunday, Dr. Paul Kivela, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) issued the following statement:

"On behalf of the nation's emergency physicians, I want to express our heart-felt sympathy to the families and friends of those who were murdered at a Texas church last night.

"I am proud of my emergency physician colleagues and first responders in San Antonio and the neighboring communities who sprang into action last night and implemented a mass casualty plan that opened up resources to care for those who were injured.

"In response to the increasing number of these violent incidents, ACEP last year created a High Threat Emergency Casualty Care Task Force dedicated to understanding, tracking and responding effectively to mass casualty incidents of this kind.

"In accordance with its policies, ACEP continues to call for restrictions on the sale and ownership of weapons, munitions, and large-capacity magazines designed for military or law enforcement use. In addition, ACEP has called for increased access to mental health services, expanded background checks, adequate support and training for the disaster response system, as well as increased funding for firearm safety and injury prevention research."