[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 85 (Friday, June 14, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E860]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              EXPANDED BACKGROUND CHECKS ON GUN PURCHASES

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                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2013

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it has now been six months since the 
tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut--Six full months since Adam Lanza 
murdered six adults and twenty children in cold blood, devastated a 
small-town community, and broke millions of hearts all across America. 
And yet, the families of Newtown who lost loved ones and who are here 
today--and families all across America--are still waiting for us to 
act. Still, this House has taken no action.
  Even though an overwhelming majority of Americans support background 
checks, the bipartisan King-Thompson bill to expand background checks 
on gun purchases, which has 180 co-sponsors, has not received a vote in 
this House. This is shameful.
  Meanwhile, we have the highest rate of gun deaths per year in the 
industrialized world. 30,000 deaths and almost 75,000 injuries are 
caused by guns every year. An average of eight children and teens are 
killed by guns in America, every single day.
  What are we waiting for? We have to find ways to move forward in a 
commonsense and responsible fashion to prevent gun violence in America. 
This is something the American people overwhelmingly support, and 
something the American people expect from us as their elected 
representatives.
  In fact, the American people have already waited too long. Six months 
have gone by since Sandy Hook, and all the while more men, women, and 
children have been victims of gun violence on our streets and in cities 
all across the country. Just this week, a gun man killed six people in 
a shooting spree in Santa Monica.
  It is time--now--to pass a stronger, more comprehensive system of 
criminal background checks for gun purchasers. It is time--now--to make 
gun trafficking a federal crime. It is time--now--to allow scientific 
research into how to mitigate gun violence. It is time--now--to ensure 
better access to quality mental health care for those in need.
  There is no good reason for inaction. Not one. We know for a fact 
that commonsense, responsible policies like these make a difference. In 
fact, one recent study found that the ten states with the weakest gun 
laws collectively suffer from a level of gun violence that is more than 
twice as high than the ten states with the strongest gun laws.
  In my state of Connecticut, the Assembly and Governor Malloy have 
stepped up to the plate, passing a comprehensive gun violence 
prevention bill that strengthens gun laws throughout our state. We 
should follow their example. At the very least, these common-sense 
proposals should get a vote in the House.
  The longer we keep waiting, the more innocent victims will die, the 
more senseless tragedies we will have to endure. It is time to pass the 
common-sense, constructive measures that help prevent tragedies like 
Sandy Hook and the thousands of gun deaths we see every year across 
this country. Six months after Newtown, it is time for this House to 
show some leadership.

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