[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 108 (Wednesday, July 6, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H4293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION

  (Mr. FOSTER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FOSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against 
congressional inaction on gun violence.
  I represent the 11th District of Illinois, which includes the great 
cities of Aurora and Joliet. And I am also the only Ph.D. scientist in 
Congress. As a scientist, I always look at the facts, and the facts are 
crystal clear that gun violence is a public health crisis and Congress 
needs to do more to keep guns out of the hands of people who should not 
have them.
  It is not just the mass shootings that we read about on national 
news. In the cities in my district, gun violence of all kinds is an 
issue that we struggle with every day. Leading medical groups have 
taken note of the effects of gun violence on our communities and have 
called for change.
  Just this month, the American Medical Association called gun violence 
a public health crisis. When the foremost medical group in our country 
calls for action, it is time for Congress to listen. But Congress will 
not even allow the Centers for Disease Control to study the causes of 
gun violence and its effects on our communities.
  We need a rational and effective approach to gun violence for the 
sake of our communities and the safety of the American people.

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