[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 108 (Wednesday, July 6, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H4280-H4281]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1015
                  THE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE HAD ENOUGH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Jenkins of West Virginia). The Chair 
recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because the 
American people have had enough. They have had enough with the epidemic 
of gun violence in our country. They have had enough with House 
Republicans' obstruction of bipartisan, pro-Second Amendment 
legislation to help keep guns away from those who shouldn't have them--
terrorists, criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously mentally 
ill--because whether it is in a movie theater, on a college campus, at 
an elementary school, in a church, in a nightclub, or on the streets of 
our cities, we have lost far too many innocent lives to gun violence.
  Let me give you some numbers: 3\1/2\, that is the number of years 
since the

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terrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School; 34,000, that is the 
number of people who have been killed by someone using a gun since 
Sandy Hook; 1,182, that is the number of mass shootings in our country 
since Sandy Hook; 30, that is the number of moments of silence observed 
by this House for victims of gun violence since Sandy Hook; 521, that 
is the number of days the House has been in session since Sandy Hook; 
and zero--zero--that is the number of votes that have been taken in 
this House to keep guns out of dangerous hands in the last 3\1/2\ 
years.
  Just a few weeks ago, we experienced the worst mass shooting in our 
country's history at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Forty-nine 
innocent people lost their lives in that nightclub, 49 people who were 
someone's son, daughter, someone's brother, sister, someone's 
significant other, someone's friend, and someone's loved one.
  After this horrific shooting, the American people don't want to see 
their elected representatives fall back into the same old pattern of 
mass shootings followed by moments of silence, thoughts and prayers, 
but no real action taken to help prevent the next tragedy. The American 
people want to see Congress pass meaningful legislation to help keep 
our communities and our loved ones safe.
  Eighty-five percent of Americans are in favor of banning individuals 
on the terrorist watch list from being able to legally buy guns. Ninety 
percent of Americans support strengthening and expanding our background 
check system.
  There are two bipartisan, pro-Second Amendment bills that would do 
just that:
  The first bill, H.R. 1076, known as the no fly, no buy, was 
introduced by our Republican colleague Peter King. This bill says that 
if you are on the FBI's terrorist watch list, then you don't get to 
walk into a gun store, pass a background check, and leave with the 
weapon of your choice. If there is one thing both sides of the aisle 
should be able to agree on, it is keeping guns away from suspected 
terrorists. Bring that bill up for a vote.
  The second bill, H.R. 1217--with 186 coauthors, Democrats and 
Republicans--would close a dangerous loophole in our background check 
system that allows criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously 
mentally ill to bypass a background check altogether and, instead, 
purchase their guns online or at a gun show or through a classified ad. 
This is a huge loophole, and it costs lives.
  You don't have to look any further than the sister of Elvin Daniel 
from Wisconsin. His sister Zina had a restraining order against her 
husband which prevented him from passing a background check when he 
tried to buy a gun in a store. Nevertheless, Zina's husband was able to 
go online and buy the same gun, a 40-caliber semiautomatic handgun, and 
he took that gun and used it to kill Zina and two other people in a 
store in Wisconsin.
  This bill would close these kinds of loopholes and help stop 
criminals from getting guns. Everyone says they want to keep guns away 
from dangerous people, but the only way to know if someone is dangerous 
is to conduct a background check. Background checks are our first line 
of defense against criminals, domestic abusers, and the dangerously 
mentally ill in getting guns.
  Last year, 260 Members of this House--including 76 of my Republican 
colleagues--voted to fund the background check system at record levels. 
Let me tell you, if you are willing to fund the system at historic 
levels, you should have no problem using the system. Bring this bill up 
for a vote.
  Both of these bills are not only bipartisan, they respect the Second 
Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. I am a gun owner. I own guns. 
I support the Second Amendment. If these bills did anything to violate 
those rights, my name wouldn't be on them. As a responsible gun owner, 
I understand that if gun violence continues unabated, then eventually 
we will see laws that place overly burdensome restrictions on our right 
to own guns. Bring these bills up for a vote.

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