[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 177 (Wednesday, November 1, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H8301-H8302]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       GUN VIOLENCE IN LAS VEGAS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Washington (Ms. Jayapal) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because we do have a gun 
violence epidemic in this country, and the time to act is now.
  Exactly 1 month ago today, we witnessed one of the most horrific mass 
shootings in our country's history, and Congress has done nothing. One 
month later, legislation on bump stocks has stalled. There is a 
deafening silence from the majority on any responsible actions on this 
public health crisis, even though, Mr. Speaker, a majority of 
Americans, including responsible gun owners, support responsible gun 
safety legislation.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, I rise to share a statement written by my 
constituent Zach Elmore, who is here with us this morning. Zach's 
sister, Alicia Johnson, was shot in Las Vegas. Thankfully, she 
survived. This is what he wrote as he sat next to her hospital bed as 
she recovered:
  ``My sister was shot in Las Vegas. I have never been more afraid, 
more angry in my entire life. The problem with shootings around the 
country is that, unless you know someone directly affected, it is easy 
to say `what a tragedy,' and move on with your daily life.
  ``It is not so easy when you are getting ready for bed and one of 
your sisters calls inconsolably crying to tell you that another one of 
your sisters has been shot. It is not so easy when you call your mother 
and she is terrified and crying and all you can do is try to calm her 
down while you figure out how to get to your sister as quickly as 
possible. It is not so easy to see your brother-in-law with blood still 
on his hands from doing whatever he could to keep your sister alive. It 
is not so easy to see your sister in a hospital bed, unable to move due 
to a gunshot wound in her back and staples in her stomach from surgery 
to check for organ damage. We are among the luckiest ones.
  ``I am sick and tired of thoughts and prayers. If thoughts and 
prayers had any affect whatsoever, there would be a lot of people still 
alive today. All these thoughts and prayers would have miraculously 
pulled bullets out of victims and healed wounds, would have stopped 
these massacres before they started.
  ``You know what is better than thoughts and prayers and lines around 
the block at blood banks and enormous relief funds for victims of 
tragedy? Creating a society where we don't have to do these things many 
times a year.
  ``We waited so long to do anything after Columbine that Virginia Tech 
happened. We still couldn't talk about it when the Aurora theater 
shooting happened. That didn't change anything, and then 20 children 
were murdered at Sandy Hook. Even that wasn't enough to promote change. 
When Dylann Roof happened, still couldn't talk about it, and then San 
Bernardino happened. We still couldn't bring ourselves to discuss gun 
control, and then the Pulse nightclub shooting happened.
  ``Lord knows we can't do anything about guns, and then Las Vegas 
happened. And we are still being told that now is not the time, let 
healing begin, don't politicize tragedy, but by all means send thoughts 
and prayers to all affected by `insert massacre here.'
  ``There is no place in society for any weapon which has the singular 
purpose to kill people. The man who killed and injured more than any 
massacre in America's history broke the mold for who commits mass 
shootings. He would have easily passed a background check and psych 
evaluation. He was affluent and had no known ties to terrorist 
organizations, but he is certainly a terrorist. The system we have in 
place allowed him to accumulate dozens of assault weapons and thousands 
of rounds of ammunition because, for all intents and purposes, he was 
not a risk to society.
  ``Let's keep in mind, the Second Amendment of the Constitution was 
written over 200 years ago when a good gunman might get three shots off 
a minute with a musket. It is hard for me to believe the Founding 
Fathers envisioned a world where one man could or would fire 400 rounds 
a minute into a crowd of people.
  ``This should not be difficult. How many people have to die before 
people will apply a little logic to gun laws? Do more children need to 
die? Does a hospital need to be attacked? What is your limit? Does it 
have to happen to you or a loved one before you start to think 
differently about gun laws?
  ``The people of this country have so much power. We have protested, 
pressured our Congressmen and -women, and we have seen that work. Why 
can't we do the same to reduce and hopefully eliminate the insane 
amount of gun violence in America?
  ``Excuse me for not being willing to wait to let healing begin, for 
not accepting that now is not the time to talk about a major problem in 
this country. There is never a wrong time to stand up for what you 
think is right.
  ``My sister was shot in Las Vegas in the latest of a devastatingly 
long line of mass shootings in this country. We are luckier than 58 
people and their families, and likely luckier than many of the over 500 
other people who were injured. If I don't talk about it, if we don't 
truly take steps to effect positive change, everyone reading this will 
forget it happened because they will be sending thoughts and prayers to 
the victims of the next mass shooting in America.''
  Mr. Speaker, that is the end of the excerpt of his letter. Zach's 
family's experience illustrates why it is crucial for us to take a hard 
look at gun violence policies.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that we will, across the aisle, in a bipartisan 
fashion, do what is right for the American

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people and protect families like Zach's across the country.

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