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




                              GUN VIOLENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, last week Congress concluded with a 
spotlight on gun safety and the yawning chasm between the attitudes of 
the Republican-controlled Congress and the needs and desires of the 
American people.
  Why should America be the only developed Nation on the planet that 
cannot protect its families from gun violence? Obviously, there are no 
simple solutions in a Nation where there is a gun for every adult, 
where a half-dozen people have been killed in recent years by their 
pets, and even babies kill parents and their siblings with guns.
  Too many people feel that more guns and fewer protections is the 
solution, obscuring the fact that the overwhelming majority of the 
American public agrees that there are things we can do and that it is 
irresponsible and cynical not to try.
  For more than 24 hours last week, my Democratic colleagues and I 
discussed many of these solutions on the floor of the House, demanding 
action on three. For instance, over 90 percent of the American public 
and a majority of gun owners agreed that there should be no anonymous 
secret purchases of weapons. There should be a universal background 
check. People who cannot buy firearms at a gun store should not be able 
to buy guns over the Internet or at gun shows anonymously.
  The American public supports us in our efforts to make it harder for 
people the government has deemed too dangerous to buy a plane ticket to 
purchase assault weapons. And it is past time to eliminate the 
outrageous prohibition against the Centers for Disease Control to even 
study the epidemic of gun violence that kills three or four Americans 
every hour.
  These solutions are not really that hard. They would be a signal that 
we are serious about trying to change the gun violence equation that 
kills about 90 people every day.
  I returned to Oregon last week and had encouraging meetings with 
dozens of people who have been leading the charge in my home State, who 
are redoubling their efforts. They have demonstrated that steps can be 
taken through the political process and are committed to building upon 
their commonsense actions. For example, they led the charge to prevent 
people with a history of domestic violence and restraining orders from 
purchasing guns.
  The Oregon Legislature finally enacted universal background checks, 
like we are seeking at the Federal level, and the Oregon House of 
Representatives even passed legislation last session that would have 
closed the so-called ``Charleston Loophole'' where law enforcement has 
a 10-day delay for a purchase if the police are unable to determine 
that purchaser's qualifications.
  I was impressed and encouraged that these ordinary citizens, so 
devoted to this cause, are committing to taking on the issue further at 
the State and local level and making it an issue in the political 
elections in the fall wherever they can. It is only that type of 
activity that will overcome the inertia, the temerity, and the cynicism 
of people who are apologists for gun violence.
  The same way we embarked upon a decades-long crusade to reduce 
traffic fatalities that cut that death rate in half, we need to embark 
on a similar crusade to reduce gun violence.
  The Members who took to the floor over 24 hours showed a powerful 
expression of policy and emotion that used to be seen on the floor of 
this House but is, sadly, seldom in evidence today. But it is not too 
late. Congress should do its part to at least allow the issue the 
attention and the consideration we would give to any other public 
health crisis and end the shame of being the only developed Nation on 
the planet that cannot protect its families from gun violence.

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