[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H4976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1415
                          UNFINISHED BUSINESS

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, it is sad that people are leaving this 
Chamber with much unfinished business, such as action on Zika, threats 
to drinking water, and the most important for me is the failure to take 
any action to stem the epidemic of gun violence that takes three to 
four Americans' lives every hour.
  Whether it is from domestic violence, mass shootings like in Orlando 
or Dallas, suicide, there are multiple causes, but there are things we 
can do to make a difference.
  There ought to be no more anonymous gun purchases. We need universal 
background checks. People who are too dangerous to buy a plane ticket 
should not be able to buy an assault weapon. And the outrageous 
prohibition that Congress has on doing research from the CDC on gun 
violence ought to be abolished.
  These provisions are overwhelmingly supported by the American public 
and, indeed, gun owners themselves. There is no excuse for us leaving 
early today, for us to be gone tomorrow, for us to be gone for the next 
7 weeks.
  Maybe the people who are getting out of town should just be gone from 
the next Congress.

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