[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 41 (Thursday, March 9, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H1956-H1957]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         GUN VIOLENCE RESEARCH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Murphy) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. MURPHY of Florida. Mr. Speaker, each year, about 33,000 
Americans die in gun-related incidents, and twice as many are wounded.
  Over 60 percent of gun deaths are suicides. Individuals in emotional 
distress who attempt suicide with a gun rarely survive, so they don't 
get the chance to reconsider, to recover, and to live on.
  Nearly 35 percent of gun deaths in this country are homicides, with 
one human being using a firearm to take the life of a fellow human 
being. These homicides occur as a part of the daily drumbeat of 
violence, particularly in cities, but also our suburbs and small towns.
  Homicides in certain cities have become so customary they are 
relegated to the back pages of newspapers or not covered at all. Of 
course, the lack of public attention does not diminish the private pain 
felt by a victim's family and friends.
  Homicides in America also take place in the context of mass shootings 
that make headlines because the carnage is so immense. The most recent 
incident was the deadliest in American history. On June 12, 2016, an 
individual using a semiautomatic rifle shot 49 people to death and 
wounded 53 at the Pulse nightclub in my hometown of Orlando.
  My guest to the President's address to Congress last week was Dr. 
Marc Levy, a surgeon in Orlando. He and his team operated on victims of 
the Pulse nightclub shooting, some of whom had their bodies torn apart. 
As Dr. Levy and other first responders that fateful evening can attest, 
a weapon designed for the battlefield transformed a celebration of life 
into a scene of devastation and death that resembled a war zone.
  Although Orlando united in the wake of the Pulse attack, earning the 
label ``Orlando Strong,'' our city was profoundly and permanently 
affected by this tragedy. I don't want another American community to 
experience what we have endured.
  That is why today I am introducing legislation that would take a 
modest but meaningful step forward. Specifically, my bill would ensure 
that the CDC can offer evidence-based research into the causes of gun-
related incidents and potential ways to reduce gun deaths and injuries. 
This research would inform policymakers as they consider whether to 
enact reasonable reforms that both save lives and protect the 
constitutional rights of law-abiding gun owners.
  The decision rests with elected officials about whether to pass new 
laws designed to keep the most dangerous weapons out of the hands of 
the most dangerous individuals, in a manner consistent with the Second 
Amendment. But lawmakers of both parties should have the benefit of the 
best scientific research on the subject as they deliberate and debate.
  My bill is necessary because, for 20 years, Congress has included a 
policy rider that, as a practical matter, has prevented the CDC and 
other HHS agencies from supporting research on gun-related incidents.
  I can respect that elected officials, like the diverse Americans that 
they represent, have a range of views about the wisdom of enacting 
reasonable reforms within the space allowed by the Second Amendment. 
What I cannot respect is any lawmaker who would seek to suppress 
research into gun-related

[[Page H1957]]

incidents merely because the lawmaker fears this research could serve 
as the basis for legislative action that the lawmaker does not favor.
  Restricting research because you disagree with its results is 
unAmerican to its core, a deviation from our proud national tradition 
of free and open inquiry.
  As lawmakers, we must recognize that gun incidents are claiming the 
lives of too many of our citizens and tearing apart too many of our 
communities. In deciding how best to confront this challenge, we should 
seek out and sponsor research on this subject, not shun it.
  For this reason, my bill would repeal the current policy rider and 
express the sense of Congress that no such policy riders should be 
enacted in the future.
  I hope my colleagues will cosponsor this legislation, which 
underscores the importance of fact-based policymaking, and places 
people before politics.

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