[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 98 (Monday, June 20, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4334-S4335]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              GUN VIOLENCE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, we have an epidemic of gun violence. It is 
here. I wish it weren't, but it is here, and it is getting worse every 
day.
  Last week's attack at a popular night club in Orlando, FL, was the 
deadliest shooting in modern American history. It was an act of hate 
and an act of terror. Forty-nine people were killed, and dozens were 
wounded. Many of those wounded are going to suffer for the rest of 
their lives from paralysis, blindness, and other maladies caused by the 
evil of Mr. Mateen.
  Sadly, mass shootings are occurring with sickening regularity in our 
country. Let's just talk about some of them in recent years.
  Tucson, AZ, 2011: Six were killed, and a number were injured, one of 
whom was Gabby Giffords--a wonderful, wonderful human being. She was 
critically injured. Her good husband, a famous astronaut, is doing 
everything he can to make her life as normal as possible.
  Carson City, NV, 2011: Four were killed in a popular restaurant in 
Carson City called Heidi's. Three of the dead were National Guardsmen 
getting ready to do their duty, having a break. In fact, they were 
having breakfast when they were gunned down by a madman.
  Aurora, CO: People there watching a popular movie in 2012 were gunned 
down in a night of terror.
  Newton, CT, 2012: Twenty little kids--20 babies--and six educators 
were killed.
  The Navy Yard, Washington, DC, 2013: Twelve were killed.
  Las Vegas, NV, 2014: A couple of people had just left the Bundy 
domestic terror situation. I guess they didn't get enough opportunities 
to do terrible things up there. So they came to Las Vegas and went to a 
restaurant where two police officers were sitting there having 
breakfast--two men with families. This man and woman walked up, having 
left the Bundy enclave, and shot both of them in the head right in 
front of everybody. They walked out, went next door to Walmart, and 
killed another unsuspecting shopper.
  Charleston, SC, 1 year ago: Nine were killed in a church--praying and 
singing. That is what you should do in a church, but a murderer was 
there, and he killed nine of them.
  Roseburg, OR, 2015: Nine were killed at a community college.
  Colorado Springs, CO: Some crazy person hell-bent on doing something 
in his own mind--stopping abortion--killed three innocent people. They 
had nothing to do with abortion. They were just innocent people.
  San Bernardino, CA: In a government facility, people there for a 
holiday celebration were maimed and 14 killed by two domestic 
terrorists.
  Kalamazoo, MI, 2016: An Uber driver picked up a fare, drove around 
town to kill another one and got six.
  So if we add these up, it comes to 100, not counting the 49 who were 
killed a week or so ago. We add to that the 90 who are killed every 
day--90 every day--with guns in America. That is a pretty staggering 
number.
  But after the murders I have outlined here--Tucson; Carson City; 
Aurora; Newton, CT; DC; Las Vegas; Charleston, SC; Roseburg, OR; San 
Bernardino, CA; Colorado Springs, CO; Kalamazoo, MI--the American 
people have looked to Congress to stop them. No more, they say. The 
American people don't feel safe. They want to feel safe. They want the 
violence to stop. They want it to end. But instead of getting help from 
their elected officials, our constituents see a disturbing pattern of 
inaction. It is always the same. After each tragedy, we Democrats try 
to pass sensible gun safety measures. Sadly, our efforts are blocked by 
the Republican Congress, which takes its marching orders from the 
National Rifle Association.

  In April 2013, just months after the shootings in Aurora and Newtown, 
Democrats proposed legislation that would expand background checks and 
reinstate the assault weapons ban, limit the size of ammunition clips. 
The man who went into the nightclub a week ago had an assault rifle 
that would hold a magazine of 30 shells. He could fire that every time 
he pulled the trigger. It would take him about 3 or 4 seconds to empty 
the 30 shells. He could reload in 1 or 2 seconds. We don't know for 
sure, but he had at least two extra clips, so 90 bullets. Does anyone 
think there is anything you hunt in America that requires 90 bullets? 
Is there anyone who thinks that in America you need 30 bullets to go 
hunting--for what? Well, the man in Orlando, FL, went hunting for 
people.
  We tried to limit the size of ammunition clips, to prevent firearms 
trafficking, but the NRA didn't accept any of our proposals, and so the 
Senate Republicans didn't accept them and they filibustered and blocked 
every one of them.
  It happened again last December. Following the shooting in San 
Bernardino, Senator Feinstein proposed legislation to close the so-
called terror loophole. Senator Feinstein's bill would have prevented 
suspected terrorists from legally purchasing firearms and explosives. 
Keeping terrorists from buying guns should be something upon which 
every Member of the Senate agrees. Again, the NRA said no, the 
Republicans said no, and they blocked Senator Feinstein's legislation. 
That is a pattern we see. We see it repeatedly. It doesn't matter how 
sensible the legislation or how terrible the tragedy, the Republicans 
are beholden to the National Rifle Association, the NRA, and not the 
people who elect them to come here and represent them.
  Today I am afraid it will be more of the same. About 2 hours from 
now, the U.S. Senate will have an opportunity to stop the rampant gun 
violence that has plagued our Nation. Stop it all? No, but it certainly 
will do something. So, at 5:30, Senators will vote on four gun-related 
amendments, two from Democrats, two from Republicans. Two of these 
amendments--the Murphy and Feinstein amendments--are serious proposals 
to protect Americans from gun violence. The Murphy-Booker-Schumer 
amendment would close loopholes in our background check system and 
ensure that firearms and explosives are kept out of the hands of 
terrorists and criminals and those who suffer from mental illness.
  Senator Feinstein's amendment would close the terror loophole, which 
allows suspected terrorists to legally purchase weapons and explosives. 
Both of these proposals are in keeping with what America wants and what 
America needs. About 90 percent of Americans favor expanded background 
checks, and more than 80 percent of Americans want to close the terror 
loophole. These are Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. I might 
say, as to the National Rifle Association, all NRA Members don't feel 
the way the leaders of the NRA do. Even though 90 percent of Americans 
favor expanded background checks and more than 80 percent want to close 
the terror loophole, Republicans will again, I am confident, reject the 
voice of the American people. Instead, Republicans are proposing 
legislation that will actually make it easier for someone who has a 
mental illness to get a gun. Instead, Republicans are proposing 
legislation that will actually make it more difficult for law 
enforcement to keep guns out of the hands of the dangerous.
  The first Republican amendment proposed by the senior Senator from 
Iowa would make it easier for a person with severe mental illness to 
buy a gun.

[[Page S4335]]

That is what it says. The Republicans would make it easier for one who 
just gets out of a psychiatric facility to walk out of a psychiatric 
facility and go buy whatever he wants in the way of firearms.
  The second Republican amendment, the Senator from Texas proposed 
legislation that would allow the sale of firearms to terrorists after a 
brief 72-hour waiting period, which would compromise ongoing 
counterterrorism investigations. The Grassley and Cornyn amendments are 
political stunts that are meaningless in doing something to stop gun 
violence. These are amendments to divert attention from real 
legislation. Why? So Republicans can say: Hey, look, we tried. And all 
the time they are cheerleaders to the bosses at the NRA who are 
cheering them.
  My Republican colleagues are again stuck in the same rut, the same 
warp, giving in to the demands of the NRA. The Republican leaders 
always find an excuse to say no. Democrats look at any reasonable 
proposal when it comes to gun safety. Right now there are Democrats 
like Senator Heinrich who are working with Republicans to find a 
solution. We are open to any of their ideas, provided the legislation 
really does keep guns and explosives away from suspected terrorists, 
criminals, and people with mental illness--but we know the NRA will 
never support any of these proposals. That is why we need the Senate 
Republicans to take a stand against gun violence and against the NRA.
  As I stand here, the NRA is sending a lot of direct mail. They are 
even getting better now and putting stuff on the Internet, saying: We 
need more money. They are trying to take your guns away from you. It is 
a fundraising operation. What we need is the Senate Republicans to take 
a stand against gun violence and against the NRA for a change. If they 
don't--if the Senate Republicans continue down this path and reject the 
Feinstein and Murphy amendments, it will be the third time recently 
they walked away from sensible gun legislation. It will be the third 
time recently Republicans have walked away from sensible gun 
legislation and will be the third time Republicans will have voted to 
give suspected terrorists, criminals, and the mentally ill access to 
firearms. It will be the third time recently that the Senate 
Republicans have protected the gun lobby, even as their own 
constituents have been gunned down in cold blood.
  The Senate Republicans should be embarrassed, but they are not 
because the NRA is happy. The Republicans need to put the lives of 
innocent Americans ahead of the NRA.
  I yield the floor and ask the Chair to announce the business of the 
day.

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