[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 6, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H20-H21]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PROTECTING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE FROM GUN VIOLENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, what the new year gives us is an 
opportunity to refresh, to regroup, to look forward to opportunities in 
this instance and in this august body to protect the American people.
  So today I rise with a great deal of applause and enthusiasm, words 
that I think do not connote the presentation made by President Obama 
yesterday, for it is not often the American people can see the deepness 
of our hearts, the affection we have for them, and the concern that we 
have over loss of life.
  The President did all of that. In his teary expressions, he pierced 
the hearts of Americans, and he should have pierced the hearts of the 
Members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats. There is no doubt that 
thousands are dying from gun violence. There is no doubt that people 
with guns kill. There is no doubt that more people get guns who should 
not have guns.
  I am particularly excited by the President's thoughtful and 
collaborative work, along with that of Attorney General Lynch and a 
number of my colleagues, and of, certainly, the House Judiciary 
Committee, in particular our ranking member, John Conyers, those of us 
Democrats on the committee, and particularly those on the Crime 
Subcommittee, on which I have the privilege of serving as the ranking 
member.
  We have worked together to have an agenda on criminal justice. The 
issues dealing with guns deal with criminal justice. Why should we run 
away from the wide and well-known proposition that there are people who 
are getting guns without their having had background checks?
  Tragically, in my own community, an off-duty officer was attempting 
to sell guns in an open parking lot or in an open area in which he 
thought he would be protected. What ensued? A gun battle.
  I don't know how those individuals purchasing those guns could have 
had background checks, but I would say that that is certainly not 
representative of the many in law enforcement with whom I have engaged 
who have already said that guns kill and that so many guns in America--
more guns, we understand, than there are people--provide for a deadly 
mixture.

                              {time}  1030

  So I think it is important for the American people to know that the 
Federal Government has been working, unlike some have said. In 2015, 
NCIS received more than 22.2 million background checks, an average of 
more than 63,000 per day. By law, a gun dealer can complete a sale to a 
customer if the background check comes back clean or has taken more 
than 3 days.
  I think, in this instance, we need to look at the legislation of Mr. 
Clyburn, who indicates you must have a background check. I also think 
we should look and work legislatively with the President. Why would we 
be against hiring 200-plus more ATF officers? Why would we be against 
putting more resources in mental health?
  I am very proud that I have introduced H.R. 4316--this bill is the 
Gun Violence Reduction Resources Act--just last evening to add those 
200-plus ATF officers. I ask my colleagues to join me. I introduced 
that with Congresswoman Robin Kelly.
  I introduced, with Representative Karen Bass and Congresswoman 
Napolitano, H.R. 4315, the Mental Health Access and Gun Violence Act of 
2016, to increase the resources necessary, yesterday.
  Mr. Speaker, how many more need to die? Do we still need to have an 
amnesia check on Connecticut, San

[[Page H21]]

Bernardino, Columbine, or Oregon, and many places beyond? Guns must be 
restrained. The President's mission is correct--more data for secure 
technology, more NCIS data in order to run through those background 
checks appropriately.
  Remember Charleston, South Carolina? Remember the message? He got the 
guns because 3 days had passed. And he killed nine people worshipping 
in a church.
  So it is important, Mr. Speaker, that Congress owns up to its own 
responsibility, not one that says the Second Amendment is being 
undermined. It is not. You can never undermine our Constitution. It is 
a procedural structure that we are not engaged in. We are only trying 
to provide a guidepost to save lives of children and families. I am 
looking forward to working with the Judiciary Committee in the House 
and the Senate to look at constructive legislation.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, let me say that I am saddened that again we 
come on the floor with Planned Parenthood legislation that talks to the 
very heart of America, quality of health care, protecting women in 
terms of cervical cancer. This is a nonstarter. Vote against it. 
Protect American women. Protect families and children against gun 
violence.
  Mr. Speaker, upon taking office, every Member of Congress makes a 
solemn pledge: to protect and defend the American people. This is the 
most important oath we take as elected officials--and, to honor this 
promise, we must do everything in our power to stem gun violence in our 
nation.
  Yet, after another mass shooting and countless acts of gun violence 
in communities across our country every day, House Republicans are 
still unwilling to act to stop gun violence and save lives in American 
communities.
  The Democrats have been calling for an immediate vote on the 
bipartisan King-Thompson Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights 
Protection Act to strengthen the lifesaving background checks that keep 
guns out of the wrong hands.
  This Congress has a moral obligation to do our part to end the gun 
violence epidemic. Now is the time for Republicans to join Democrats in 
protecting the lives of Americans by taking common sense steps to save 
lives.
  The Administration is announcing two new executive actions that will 
help strengthen the federal background check system and keep guns out 
of the wrong hands. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is proposing a 
regulation to clarify who is prohibited from possessing a firearm under 
federal law for reasons related to mental health, and the Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS) is issuing a proposed regulation to 
address barriers preventing states from submitting limited information 
on those persons to the federal background check system.
  Too many Americans have been severely injured or lost their lives as 
a result of gun violence. While the vast majority of Americans who 
experience a mental illness are not violent, in some cases when persons 
with a mental illness do not receive the treatment they need, the 
result can be tragedies such as homicide or suicide.
  The Administration takes a comprehensive approach to mental health 
issues by expanding coverage of mental health services so care is 
affordable, launching a national conversation on mental health to 
reduce stigma associated with having a mental illness and getting help, 
directing funds we have now to improve mental health facilities, and 
proposing more funds be used for efforts such as training additional 
mental health professionals.
  At the same time, the Administration is committed to making sure that 
anyone who may pose a danger to themselves or others does not have 
access to a gun. The federal background check system is the most 
effective way to assure that such individuals are not able to purchase 
a firearm from a licensed gun dealer. To date, background checks have 
prevented over two million guns from falling into the wrong hands.
  The Administration's two new executive actions will help ensure that 
better and more reliable information makes its way into the background 
check system. The Administration also continues to call on Congress to 
pass common-sense gun safety legislation and to expand funding to 
increase access to mental health services.


       PROGRESS TO STRENGTHEN THE FEDERAL BACKGROUND CHECK SYSTEM

  Over the past year, the Administration has taken several steps to 
strengthen the National Instant Criminal Background Check System 
(NICS), which is used to run background checks on those who buy guns 
from federally licensed gun dealers to make sure they are not 
prohibited by law from owning a firearm. For example:
  The President directed federal agencies to make all relevant records, 
including criminal history records and information related to persons 
prohibited from having guns for mental health reasons, available to the 
federal background check system. This effort is beginning to bear 
fruit. In the first nine months after the President's directive, 
federal agencies have made available to the NICS over 1.2 million 
additional records identifying persons prohibited from possessing 
firearms, nearly a 23 percent increase from the number of records 
federal agencies had made available by the end of January.

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