[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 139 (Wednesday, September 14, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H5451]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1230
                              GUN VIOLENCE

  (Mr. SCHIFF asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, in just 7 weeks, as Members were in their 
districts this summer, at least 2,015 lives were lost to gun violence--
2,015 men, women, and children. Add a few more weeks to that total and 
you have almost as many people as were murdered in the deadliest 
terrorist attack in the United States when two planes flew into the 
World Trade Center. That is the equivalent of 41 Orlando terror attacks 
in 7 weeks. This is appalling, and yet these killings are barely 
discussed, as if they are simply the new normal.
  In a town hall I hosted last month, I talked with constituents about 
gun safety and how we could attack the scourge of gun-related deaths in 
this country. The message from that meeting was clear: we need 
universal background checks. We need the ability to prevent terrorists 
and the seriously mentally ill from getting easy access to deadly 
weapons. If you can't fly, you can't buy. These are steps that the vast 
majority of constituents, gun owners, and Americans all across the 
country agree are necessary.
  In refusing to pass the most basic legislation, the Congress is 
complicit in this continued slaughter. The Speaker must do his job and 
let us vote so that we can do ours.

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