Barney Frank

In this Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011 file photo, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass. gestures during his news conference on his retirement on Capitol Hill in Washington.

(The Associated Press)

Barney Frank, a long serving member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts, voiced concerns regarding the safety of gay Americans, an "Islamic element" in terrorism and an increased need for surveillance and gun control.

Frank spoke of the attack at a gay nightclub in Orlando this weekend in an interview with the New York Times Monday.

"It's an attack against gay people but it does not reflect a general deterioration of our standing in America," he said. "It reflects the virulence of the hatred in this sector of Islam."

Frank represented Massachusetts in the House for 32 years, completing his final term in office in 2013. He came out publicly as gay in 1987, the first member of Congress to voluntarily do so, and has been a vocal gay rights advocate.

The former Massachusetts representative said he'd like to see more monitoring of people with extreme Islamic beliefs by both the Muslim community and government agencies.

"There is an Islamic element here," he told the Times. "Yes, the overwhelming majority of Muslims don't do this, but there is clearly, sadly, an element in the interpretation of Islam that has some currency, some interpretation in the Middle East that encourages killing people - and L.G.B.T. people are on that list. And I think it is fair to ask leaders of the Islamic community, religious and otherwise, to spend some time combatting this."

Frank said the mass shooting reinforces his belief that there should be "significant surveillance" of people identified by the FBI to have radical beliefs.

The lone shooter, Omar Mateen, was interviewed by the FBI twice in recent years, but as a connection could not be drawn between him and terrorist organizations, both investigations were closed.

Law enforcement officials say the gunman pledged his allegiance to ISIS during a 911 call just before the shooting.

The day after 50 people - including Mateen - were fatally wounded, the Islamic State issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack.

President Barack Obama said Monday that there is no clear evidence the shooting was apart of a larger plot or directed by a terrorist organization.

Armed with an assault rifle and a handgun, Mateen killed 49 people inside the nightclub. Another 53 were wounded during the attack. Mateen was killed during a shootout with law enforcement.

Mateen had a Florida firearms license and legally purchased both guns within the past week.

Excluding active duty members of the military, Frank said no one should have access to such guns.

He said, of those citing 2nd Amendment rights to own such weapons, "By that logic people can have shoulder-fired missiles."