Attorney General Eric Holder pushed Congress on Thursday to take up gun control legislation in the wake of the Washington, D.C., Navy Yard shooting earlier this week that killed 13 people, including the gunman.

“My colleagues and I remain committed to combating all forms of gun violence, preventing future tragedies, and working with Congress to fulfill the desire of the American people to take common-sense steps to keep guns from falling into the wrong hands,” said Holder in a speech before the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual criminal justice forum in downtown D.C.

“It is past time for us to come to grips with the causes of these too-frequent tragedies.”