[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 148 (Thursday, October 8, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H6899]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Speier) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I am sick to my stomach this morning because 
we have just witnessed the 45th school shooting this year. There have 
been more than 294 mass shootings this year, and we have only had 272 
days this year.
  I am not going to stand for another moment of silence on this floor 
unless it is joined with meaningful action. It is a hollow gesture to 
act like we care for these families when the truth is we don't care 
enough to act.
  Twenty-six times since Sandy Hook we have paused on this floor, we 
have paused to give our prayers and our sympathy to the families who 
have lost loved ones. But what are we doing for the next set of 
families that are going to lose loved ones?
  We are going to do nothing, absolutely nothing. In fact, we create 
more credibility in the fictionalized ``death panels'' than we do about 
the actual deaths of innocent schoolchildren, college students, and 
moviegoers.
  This is the truth: In America, more preschoolers are shot dead each 
year than police officers killed in the line of duty. Ninety-two 
Americans are shot to death each and every day. Ninety-two will be shot 
to death today. Do we care enough to do anything?
  If there were that many people dying each day due to terrorism, 
disease, faulty consumer products, you bet we would do something, but 
not when it comes to guns. When it comes to guns, we can only muster 
enough to stand up on this floor and be silent. What a tragedy.
  Our inaction means we are willing to let thousands of our fellow 
citizens die so we can prop up the myth that gun violence measures, 
which the Supreme Court has ruled ironclad under the Constitution, will 
somehow undermine the Second Amendment.
  By refusing to adopt the mental health and background check measures 
supported by 90 percent of the population and 74 percent of NRA 
members, we are doing the bidding of the NRA lobbyists and the gun 
manufacturers. We are not standing side by side with the victims of 
Umpqua and Charleston and Sandy Hook. We are shrugging and saying, 
``Eh, stuff happens.''
  Stuff does not just happen. As you can see on this chart, gun 
violence is dramatically down in States that have passed strong gun 
violence prevention laws. You can see the trends in other 
industrialized countries that have reacted wisely to gun violence.
  Australia had 13 mass shootings over 18 years. But then they put in 
strong laws to protect against gun violence, and they haven't had one 
mass shooting since then.
  In Canada and Norway, also, they tightened their gun laws in the wake 
of mass shootings, and gun violence rates are a fraction today of what 
they were. These countries are our closest allies. They are not Fascist 
regimes. If they can do it, we can do it.
  We need to make mental health reporting laws universal and enforce 
the ones already on the books. It is shameful that eight States have no 
mental health reporting laws and 13 States have submitted fewer than 
100 mental health records each to the national background check system.
  By the way, Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn says that his measure is 
the solution. He has even introduced his own bill, but he and his 
Caucus have declined to advance it.
  We have to make background checks universal by closing the gun show 
loophole and the loophole for online sales. These loopholes allow 
criminals, drug abusers, and mentally ill people who are already banned 
from having guns to get guns. Finally, we need to lift the ban on NIH 
and CDC research.
  Mr. Speaker, I will not stand for another one of these hypocritical 
moments of silence, but I will stand up for any effort we make to pass 
sensible and genuine gun safety laws. Lipservice alone is a disservice 
to these families and the next families who don't want our prayers, but 
want the lives of their loved ones back.

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