[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 147 (Wednesday, September 28, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H6008]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
New York (Ms. Velazquez) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. VELAZQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, Americans everywhere are tired of reading 
headlines about mass shootings. What happened in Orlando in June broke 
all our hearts, and we have felt similar outrage about the shooting in 
Houston this week. But while incidents like this command headlines, we 
forget just how frequent shootings have become.
  In New York City, already this year, there have been 897 shooting 
victims. According to Gun Violence Archive, which tracks shootings 
daily across the United States, there have been 10,717 gun-related 
deaths this year and more than 22,000 injuries, and it is only 
September.
  There are steps this Congress could take to help stem this violence. 
Will any one solution stop gun violence completely? Of course not. 
There are anywhere from 270 million to 310 million guns in the United 
States, close to one firearm for every man, woman and child. So we will 
not solve this problem overnight. But there are some steps we could 
take, steps that Republicans continue blocking.
  First, it makes no sense that if you cannot legally get on an 
airplane, you can still purchase a firearm. If you are prohibited from 
flying, you shouldn't be buying a gun. That is just common sense.
  Now, some on the other side of the aisle like to drag up an incident 
or two where someone was incorrectly placed on the no-fly list. If that 
is the case, I will say, let's also fix the no-fly list. But we cannot 
use this as an excuse to do nothing. That is what the NRA and the gun 
manufacturing lobby want Congress to do--nothing.
  Second, for 10 years, this Nation used to have an assault weapon ban. 
President Bush let that law expire. We need to reinstate it.
  Third, we need a universal system of background checks, something 
that 87 percent of the American public supports.
  Mr. Speaker, there are other, tougher steps I would like to see 
implemented. I have legislation that will invest in community 
organizations that combat gun violence. My bill will also help stop the 
flow of stolen guns into New York City and hold accountable gun owners 
who lose their guns and irresponsibly do not report them missing.
  For now, there are three basic steps we should take immediately to 
help reduce this epidemic. Yet Republicans can barely fund the 
government, let alone take on difficult problems like these.
  Let me make one last observation, Mr. Speaker. The American people 
are watching on this issue. If Republicans are in such a hurry to get 
back to your districts, I promise, you will hear from your constituents 
on this issue.
  We are all tired of tragedies like Orlando and what happened in 
Houston this week, and we are also outraged by the daily shootings that 
do not make national news but still shatter families.
  The American people are watching. They are telling the Republican 
leadership: ``Do your job. Do your job with funding to address Zika. Do 
your job with money for Flint. And do your job to address the tragedy 
of gun violence.''

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