[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 17, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H2074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PASS GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION
(Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute.)
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Today, Mr. Speaker, the other body has an
opportunity to do what 90 percent of the American people would like us
to do--to be prayerful and to come together to respond to the horrific
siege of gun violence in America.
It is important to note that, on average, 13 young people from ages
10 to 24 are victims of homicide every day, and 82.8 percent of these
youth are killed by a gun. Every 30 minutes a child or teenager in
America is injured by a gun. Every 3 hours and 15 minutes a child or a
teenager loses their life from a firearm. In 2010, 82 children under
the ages of 5 lost their lives due to guns. To put that number in
perspective, 58 law enforcement lost their lives.
And so today, we don't have to violate the Second Amendment. As I
said, we can be prayerful. We can pass universal background checks--the
same thing we do with registering our cars, getting licenses. This is a
time for America to rise to our higher angels and do what our children
need them to do. I ask the Senate to challenge its conscience and to
vote for universal background checks to stop the violence.
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