Sen. Dick Durbin says mass shootings are 'sadly a uniquely American experience' after Monterey Park shooting left 11 dead

• Sen. Dick Durbin called mass shootings a "uniquely American experience" on CNN.
• A gunman killed 11 people and injured at least 9 more in Monterey Park, California, police say.

Sen. Dick Durbin said that mass shootings are a "uniquely American experience" after the shooting at a Lunar New Year festival in Monterey Park, California, that left at least 11 people dead on Saturday night.

"I hope this is not a hate crime against Asian Americans, there have been far too many of those in the recent past, but we're dealing with the tragedy of mass shootings, which is sadly a uniquely American experience; it happens over and over and over again," Durbin said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Captain Andrew Meyer said in a press conference on Sunday morning that it was too early in the investigation to determine if the shooting was a hate crime. Meyer said the shooting took place at a "ballroom dance location" in the press conference.

Meyer said at the press conference that the shooter fled the scene and is still at large.

Durbin recalled the shooting at a 4th of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois, in 2022 that left seven people dead, saying that "there's a lot we should do as a nation to make it safer for everyone."

"One of the first things is to make gun safety a higher priority," Durbin said on CNN.

"We are dealing with capacity high capacity magazines, as made it might have been the case in California," Durbin added.

Meyer did not give a description of the suspect or the weapon he used. The LASD declined to comment on what type of weapon the suspect used in the Monterey Park shooting when reached by Insider on Sunday.