[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 56 (Tuesday, April 23, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E520]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        THE OCCASION OF THE DEDICATION OF GABRIEL ZIMMERMAN ROOM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 23, 2013

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the legacy of Gabriel 
``Gabe'' Zimmerman, a young man devoted to community service, and the 
great democratic principles upon which our government stands.
  Gabriel Zimmerman was murdered on January 8, 2011, struck down in the 
prime of life at the young age of 31. He was one of several persons 
killed or wounded during the mass shooting in Arizona that so seriously 
injured our colleague, former U.S. Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. Gabe 
Zimmerman is the first congressional staffer to be killed in the line 
of duty.
  As the Community Outreach Director for Congresswoman Giffords, Gabe 
organized the ``Congress at Your Corner,'' at a supermarket in Tuscon, 
Arizona, where the mass shooting took place.
  Colleagues remember him as someone who would go out of his way to 
help people in trouble, who attentively listened to the concerns of 
constituents, and who had a real gift for working with people.
  I rise today not only to commemorate Gabe Zimmerman but to speak out 
against the scourge of gun violence our nation faces.
  We have all been shaken by tragic events in recent days and years 
involving gun violence.
  Whether these events occurred in Newtown, Connecticut; Aurora, 
Colorado; Tucson, Arizona; or on the streets of Chicago, gun violence 
is a critical issue that we need to effectively address immediately. 
Urban, suburban, or rural--no region or community is immune to danger 
of gun violence.
  While the nation's attention has often been drawn toward some of the 
more high-profile events, the broader statistics are disturbing, 
demonstrating a real need to address how we protect our nation's 
children from gun violence. Consider these facts:
  Every 30 minutes, a child or teenager in America dies or is injured 
by a gun.
  Every 3 hours and 15 minutes, a child or teenager loses their life to 
a firearm.
  In 2010, 82 children under 5 years of age lost their lives due to 
guns.
  To put that in perspective, 58 law enforcement officers died in the 
line of duty that year.
  In light of recent tragedies, the American people are demanding 
action. One thing we can do immediately to reduce the incidence of gun 
violence is to pass H.R. 65, the Child Gun Safety and Gun Access 
Prevention Act of 2013, legislation I introduced to protect our 
nation's children from gun violence and accidents.
  H.R. 65 will prohibit persons under the age of 21 from possessing 
semiautomatic assault weapons or large capacity magazines.
  Moreover, H.R. 65 increases penalties on individuals who knowingly 
transfer a handgun, ammunition, semiautomatic assault weapon, or large 
capacity ammunition feeding device to a person under age 21.
  In addition, H.R. 65 will also prohibit importers, manufacturers, and 
dealers from transferring firearms without providing the purchaser with 
a gun storage or safety device.
  Finally, H.R. 65 authorizes the U.S. Attorney General to provide 
grants to enable local law enforcement agencies to develop and sponsor 
gun safety classes for parents and children.
  These provisions, and others, can go a long way toward making our 
homes, schools, and streets safer for children across this country.
  Mr. Speaker, we may not be able to prevent every gun-related tragedy 
from occurring in the future, but we have a responsibility to implement 
reasonable standards that will prevent the loss of innocent lives.

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