[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 109 (Thursday, July 7, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H4479-H4480]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         NOW IS THE TIME TO ACT

  (Mrs. TORRES asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. TORRES. Mr. Speaker, last week on this floor, I told a story of 
a 911 call that I took where an 11-year-old girl was murdered at the 
hands of her uncle. Her name was Yajaira. Today I want to tell you 
about Ethan Esparza.
  In 2006, when I was mayor of Pomona, Ethan was shot and killed while 
he was playing in his front yard during his birthday party. He would 
have turned 4 years old the next day.

[[Page H4480]]

  The murders of Yajaira and Ethan were completely senseless, but they 
are not rare. Every day, 91 people are killed because of gun violence. 
In the United States, you are more than 10 times likely to die because 
of a firearm than in any other developed country.
  We have a problem, a problem that isn't going to be solved by simply 
putting our heads in the sand. It is time to stop this silence. We 
aren't going to solve this. Now is the time to act. Now is the time to 
have a discussion about it.

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