Orlando’s mayor says the city wants to buy the Pulse nightclub, where 49 were slain in a mass shooting in 2016, to create a permanent memorial to the victims.

Gunman Omar Mateen, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terror group before the attacks, killed 49 clubgoers and injured 53 on June 12, 2016, before being killed in a shootout by SWAT team members following a three-hour standoff.

While the gay bar and nightclub has a temporary memorial outside, efforts in the past seven years to create a permanent memorial for the victims of the massacre had settled on a site other than Pulse, but that idea changed.

“We recently met with some families of the victims, and survivors of the Pulse tragedy, who shared their desire for a permanent memorial at the Pulse site. To expedite the creation of a lasting memorial to honor the 49 angels, the City of Orlando is pursuing purchasing the site,” Mayor Buddy Dyer wrote in a post on X.

The purchase proposal will go to the Orlando city council for a vote on Monday. Buying the site will cost around $2 million, according to USA Today.

“We think we were probably the only ones that could step in and at least calm the situation down and make sure that everybody understands that we will in fact build a memorial on that site,” Mr. Dyer told USA Today.

On X, one of the massacre’s survivors, Brandon Wolf, approved of the decision.

“Good. It’s time for a permanent space where people can grieve, reflect, and honor those stolen from us. One created by and for the community,” Mr. Wolf wrote in his post.

Pulse owners and founders Barbara and Rosario Poma also approved, telling WKMG-TV in a statement that “June 12, 2016, will always be remembered for the despicable act of terrorism and attack on the LGBTQIA+ community, but our hope is that this sacred ground will become a space for healing. Pulse nightclub opened as a place of love and acceptance for all and will now forever serve as a reminder that no act of hate can ever erase love.”

At the time, the massacre at Pulse was the deadliest mass shooting to date in American history. It was surpassed in 2017 by the killing of 58 people at a country music festival in Las Vegas by a gunman shooting out of a window at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. That shooting also wounded more than 600 people, the Department of Justice said.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.