[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 202 (Tuesday, December 12, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9840-H9843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              GUN VIOLENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bacon). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 3, 2017, the Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Illinois (Ms. Kelly) for 30 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
to include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yet again rise along with my 
colleagues because Americans are dying and this House is doing nothing. 
They are dying every day in their homes, in our schoolyards, and, yes, 
even at events hosted by Members of this House. Still we do nothing.
  Mr. Speaker, every day, 93 Americans lose their lives to gun 
violence, and still this House has not acted.
  If anything, last week, the majority passed through a dangerous bill 
that will put more lives, especially the lives of law enforcement 
officers, at risk.

  Mr. Speaker, these are fathers and mothers, daughters and sons, 
beloved friends and dear colleagues. These are people in every one of 
our communities and in every one of our districts. Not one Member of 
this House can come to the floor and say that their community--their 
neighbors and their district--hasn't been affected by gun violence. Not 
one Member, yet we still do nothing as bullets fly and mothers cry. We 
do nothing as we lose children and

[[Page H9841]]

police officers. The death, destruction, and carnage continue, and 
still we do nothing.
  In less than a decade, two Members of this House have been shot and a 
staffer murdered, and even that can't move us to act and save American 
lives.
  Mr. Speaker, at what cost does our continued silence come?
  Earlier this year, I pledged to read the names of 5,950 gun violence 
victims into the Congressional Record--a number that should have 
special significance to the Speaker.
  Today we continue honoring those taken from us by gun violence, and 
we pledge to honor their legacy through action that saves lives.
  So I asked my social media followers to share their personal stories 
of how gun violence has torn their families and communities apart. 
These are their names and stories:
  Lenore Draper, a community activist working to stop the violence.
  Kenneth D. Mitchell, Jr., served three tours of duty in Afghanistan, 
Iraq, and Kuwait. He lost his life to gun violence here in America, 
leaving behind three sons, one of whom will never meet his father.
  Thomas R. Lee was killed in Harvey, Illinois, on August 13, 2008.
  Patricia May Springer.
  Malcolm Dowdy was killed leaving a Memorial Day party. He had just 
purchased a home, was getting married, was on the dean's list, and was 
the proud father of a 17-month-old. His mom, Michelle, asked me to read 
his name.
  Katie Kearns, just 24 years old, was murdered in rural Kankakee 
County.
  John Thomas Larimer, just age 27, gave his life protecting two 
friends at the Aurora, Colorado, theater shooting.
  Jessica Ghawi was also killed at the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado. Her 
mother, Sandy, asked me to read her name today.

                              {time}  1900

  Jonathan Schaffer.
  Camilo Senchyna-Beltran, killed while celebrating the completion of 
paramedic school. Tomorrow should have been his 30th birthday.
  Sterling ``Steelo'' G. McKenzie.
  Rami Cooks.
  Lashea Cretain was shot five times by a boyfriend in 1996, and 
survived. She reached out on Twitter, asking me to tell her story. She 
still lives with those bullets.
  Steven Laurence, 21, a friend of my staffer, Mia.
  Kenneth Bowens.
  Diane Mokos Kriz, the mother of four girls, was murdered while 
stopping at her church on the way to the hospital where she worked. Her 
sister, Charlene, asked me to read her name.
  Lindsay Key.
  Calvin Thompson, Jr.
  Kenzo Dix, just 15 years old, killed in an accident with a loaded, 
but unlocked, gun.
  Bill Venable, 17, and his father, Billy Venable.
  Tim Boyd of Chicago Heights.
  Kerry Parks was killed in a drive-by shooting. Her friend Lucy asked 
me to read her name. She said that Kerry ``was my best friend and was 
just playing out in her front yard like we always did. She was full of 
life, love, and smiles.''
  Maurice Hobbs.
  Betsy Lowther, who left behind a husband, a daughter, and grandson. 
Her niece Amy asked me to read her name. She said her aunt ``was a 
generous, loving, vibrant woman who struggled with depression.''
  James Williams, 21 years old.
  Larry Perrine, 17 years old.
  Galen Gibson, 18 years old.
  Professor N. Saez.
  Ricky Riggins.
  Joyce Penebaker. I was asked to read her name by her son Khary. He 
said: ``I chose to tell my daughter about my mom, her grandmother, and 
how she died by suicide with a gun when I was very young. I wanted my 
daughter to know what has motivated me to get active in the gun 
violence prevention movement.''
  Christy Owens.
  Patrick Wyatt McKinley. His mother, Jeanette, asked me to read his 
name. He was killed in front of his home on New Year's Eve 2004, a day 
that should be a celebration of new beginnings.
  Steven Shears.
  Kimberlee Thomas and her father, Keith Thomas.
  Kay Weins was taken while showing compassion to a stranger. She left 
behind two sons and several beautiful grandchildren. Her cousin Edward 
asked me to read her name.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts (Ms. Clark). Since her election, Congresswoman Clark has 
been a dedicated leader in efforts to protect the health and safety of 
American families. Congresswoman Clark cares deeply about this issue 
and was the architect of the gun violence prevention sit-in.
  Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. First, I thank my colleague from 
Illinois, Congresswoman Kelly, for her leadership in this fight to 
reduce gun violence and for bringing us together this evening, as she 
has so many times, speaking so eloquently about gun violence, the 
effect in her district, and around our country.
  Tonight, I would like to focus on a particular type of gun violence. 
It is one that happens every 16 hours in America, when a woman is 
fatally shot by a former or current intimate partner.
  Here are some more horrific facts:
  In 8 out of 10 gun deaths involving intimate partners, the victims 
are women.
  The majority of mass shooters killed their intimate partner during 
their rampage, and the perpetrators of domestic violence are the 
shooters in more than half of all mass shootings.
  Abused women are five times more likely to be killed by their abuser 
if their abuser has access to a firearm.
  All of this adds up to a grisly reality: American women are 16 times 
more likely to be killed by gunshot than women in any other developed 
country. You don't have to look very hard to see there is something 
very wrong with this picture.
  The most powerful Nation in the world, with our proud tradition of 
innovation and ingenuity, appears to be completely impotent in reducing 
gun violence. At least that is what our Republican leaders would like 
us to believe.
  We do not debate or have votes on legislation that can help a 
domestic violence victim who wants to protect her family or wants to 
prevent her abusive partner from getting their hands on a gun. But if 
you are the gun lobby, you get a vote to allow those with a history of 
domestic violence to access guns.
  I am here to remind my colleagues that these actions come with a 
devastating price. The names I am going to read tonight are names of 
Massachusetts women whose domestic abusers have shot them to death.
  These are women who have died just in the last 5 years in 
Massachusetts. They are the ones who never get a vote in this Chamber. 
They are the ones the majority has not even tried to help:
  Eugenia Gomes Monteiro.
  Aracelys Valdez DeLeon.
  Nicole White.
  Amanda Glover.
  Jeannine O'Connor.
  Kelly Sugarman.
  Yahaira Hernandez.
  Lisa Trubnikova.
  Michelle Batista.
  Matilde Gabin.
  Mabilia Maranhao.
  Elizabeth A. Coyne.
  Ramonita Colon.
  Audilia DaVeiga.
  Julie Treadwell.
  Glomerys Martinez.
  Donna Zollo.
  Tyshianna Atkins.
  Belinda Torres.
  Keosha N. Gilmore.
  Lori Levangie.
  These women and other victims of gun violence deserve better, and we 
are doing nothing to prevent future deaths. These are just a portion of 
those who die every single day in this country. We can do better and we 
must do better.
  Again, I thank my colleague for all her work to make sure that we 
fulfill a promise to keep our families at home secure.
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I am sorry the Congresswoman had 
to read all of those names. Maybe, as we go on, things will change. We 
will learn and things will change.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of 
California (Ms. Lee), a member of the Appropriations Committee.

[[Page H9842]]

  Since her election to Congress, Congresswoman Lee has been a fearless 
and dedicated leader on ending poverty and health disparities in our 
Nation's communities, including gun violence.
  Like many who serve in this House, she is someone who has attended 
too many funerals and comforted too many grieving mothers, fathers, and 
colleagues because of gun violence.
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Kelly for her tremendous 
leadership on so many fronts, especially as chair of the Congressional 
Black Caucus Health Braintrust and for her tireless work in helping us 
focus on the fact that gun violence should be treated as a public 
health crises and that it is just that.
  Congress needs to do something to stop this epidemic of gun violence 
that is destroying so many communities all around the country. On an 
average day, 93 innocent lives in America are cut short, due to gun 
violence. These senseless deaths also disproportionately impact 
communities of color.
  As a Representative from California's 13th Congressional District, I 
know all too well the devastating impact that gun violence has on our 
communities.
  In fact, the Center for Disease Control recently reported that 
African-American children have the highest rates of firearm mortality 
overall. They are about 10 times more likely than White children to be 
killed by guns. Latino children are twice as likely as White children 
to be killed by guns. But no child--and I mean no child--regardless of 
their background, wealth, ZIP Code, or race, should be killed by gun 
violence. No child. It pains me, and I know it pains their parents and 
family members, to know that such promising young people have left us 
too soon.
  Tonight, let me just read the names of a few of Oakland's children 
who have lost their lives to gun violence this year:
  Anibal Andres Ramirez, who was only 13. He was Oakland's youngest gun 
victim this year. He was shot outside the new Walnut Plaza community 
center in east Oakland.
  Luis Urquidez, who was 17 when his friend accidentally shot him. What 
in the world was that gun doing around this young boy?
  Deangelo Hal, who was 17 when he, once again, accidentally shot 
himself with a stolen gun.
  Keith Lawrence, who was 17 and a student at Skyline High School. 
Keith was found shot dead in a parking lot.
  Soane Mausia, who was 18 when he and his brother were shot by men 
outside of their east Oakland home.
  Joaquin Byrd, who was 18 and also a student at Skyline High School. 
He was shot during a fight at a fast food restaurant.
  Sultan Bey, who was 18. He was college-bound and had dreams of 
becoming a computer engineer. He was shot while picking up a friend.
  Mr. Speaker, this only happens in America. There are too many guns in 
America. At some point, we have to stand up and say: Enough is enough.
  Let me say that 5 years ago this week, a deranged gunman walked into 
Sandy Hook Elementary School and massacred 20 children--20 beautiful 
elementary school children, whom we continue to remember, murdered in 
cold blood. Yet Republicans in Congress refuse to lift a finger in 
support of legislation to prevent these kinds of tragedies from 
happening.
  Shame on every Republican who chooses devotion to the NRA over the 
lives of Americans. We simply must take action to bring commonsense gun 
reform to our Nation's gun laws. That is what the American people sent 
us here to do, to govern in their best interest.
  That is why we stand here tonight with Congresswoman Kelly and demand 
that the Speaker take action and bring commonsense legislation for a 
vote.
  Give us a vote, Mr. Speaker.
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, Congresswoman Lee's words remind 
me of what I hear sometimes: we need to wait before we do anything; 
this group or that group or someone just died, and we are already 
talking about what we are going to do. It has been 5 years since 
Newtown, and we still have done nothing.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings). 
She sees this issue through a number of lenses: a mom, a wife of law 
enforcement, and a career law enforcement officer herself.
  Mrs. DEMINGS. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I echo the comments I have 
heard from other colleagues to thank my colleague from Illinois, 
Representative Kelly, for her unwavering commitment to this issue.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak for those who have died in the United 
States as a result of senseless gun violence. I want to reflect this 
evening on where we have been, where we are now, and where we must go 
from here.
  When I took office 1 year ago, I was so excited to give my first 
speech on the House floor. But I never dreamed my first speech would be 
a tribute to a former friend and colleague.
  My first floor speech was to honor Sergeant Debra Clayton, a law 
enforcement officer who was shot and killed while trying to apprehend a 
murder suspect, a person who should have never had a gun in his 
possession in the first place.
  Since then, two more law enforcement officers from central Florida, 
Officer Matthew Scott Baxter and Sergeant Richard Samuel Howard, have 
been shot and killed, both officers of the Kissimmee Police Department.
  I was sworn into Congress just 6 months after the mass shooting in 
Orlando at the Pulse nightclub where 49 people who were involved in 
what my bishop likes to call a late-night fellowship--not doing 
anything wrong, not in the wrong place--were killed by a lone gunman.
  At that time, it was the worst mass shooting in modern American 
history. But in the short time since then, the number 49 has been 
surpassed as 59 people were killed in Las Vegas just a few months ago.

                              {time}  1915

  What this says is things are not getting better, and Congress has 
failed to take responsible action. Since the Newtown shooting, Congress 
has held at least 50 moments of silence for the victims of gun 
violence. But, Mr. Speaker, please tell me: How does a moment of 
silence protect the next victim?
  I join my colleagues in honoring the victims who have died tragically 
of gun violence in our Nation. The victims deserve to be remembered. 
Their families deserve recognition, and the victims and their families 
deserve action.
  John 13:17 says: ``Now that you know these things, you will be 
blessed if you do them.'' Well, we now know these things. In other 
words, when you know better, Mr. Speaker, you are supposed to do 
better.
  We also know that the vast majority of the American people across the 
Nation want action.
  As a former law enforcement officer, I had a duty to enforce the laws 
to protect the innocent; and, Mr. Speaker, as Members of Congress, we 
have a duty to enact laws that protect the innocent. We need to stand 
up to the gun lobby and take on their indiscriminate sales of bump 
stocks and other modifications that make weapons deadlier or more 
suited for criminal violence. We need to strengthen programs that work, 
such as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and 
drastically improve mental health screening and treatment.
  And I continue to oppose concealed carry reciprocity, as I did last 
week on the floor, because it would allow persons from outside your 
State to bring their firearms anywhere in your State, making the job of 
law enforcement officers on the street who have the responsibility of 
sorting it all out more difficult and, potentially, more dangerous.
  Mr. Speaker, the men, women, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, 
brothers, and sisters gunned down in our country deserve remembrance. 
They also deserve courage from their leaders. They deserve action from 
their leaders. I once again call on this body to provide some.
  Debra Clayton, Matthew Baxter, and Sam Howard.
  Again, I thank my colleague from Illinois for her unwavering 
commitment and leadership on this issue.
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Demings for 
those remarks, and I thank her for reminding us of the law enforcement 
officers who have lost their lives protecting us.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. Esty), 
from the town of Newtown. Congresswoman Esty is a tireless advocate for

[[Page H9843]]

commonsense legislation that will save American lives. She knows all 
too well the cost that gun violence takes on our communities and on our 
families. Like many who serve in this House, she is someone who has 
attended funerals, comforted, and continues to comfort so many grieving 
mothers and fathers because of gun violence.
  Ms. ESTY of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Kelly for yielding. 
Ms. Kelly has been such a stalwart voice for all who are all too often 
forgotten in what we are seeing happen in this country, a voice for 
those who are not lost, because sometimes we say ``lost to gun 
violence.'' These are not lives that are lost. These are lives that are 
ripped from us, taken from us, brutally ended.
  In the 5 years since the horrific shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, 
in my district, 170,000 Americans have been taken from us, sons and 
daughters of this great country, 170,000 souls.
  We should just reflect on that, what that means, what each and every 
one of those people might have done if they had lived.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Kelly for being a tireless voice, 
which we need in these challenging times.
  Mr. Speaker, 5 years ago tonight, it was cold and snowy in 
Connecticut. The families of Newtown had picked up their children from 
school. They were getting ready for the holidays. It was already snowy 
and cold, no one having any thought on December 12 that, in 2 days, 
their lives--and America's lives--would be changed by the reality of 
what gun violence has done and is doing to this country.
  So, tonight, I want to read the names of the 20 children and six 
educators who were brutally gunned down and murdered in Sandy Hook 
Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut:
  Charlotte Bacon, Daniel Barden, Rachel D'Avino, Olivia Engel, 
Josephine Gay, Ana Marquez-Greene, Dylan Hockley, Dawn Hochsprung, 
Madeleine Hsu, Catherine Hubbard, Chase Kowalski, Jesse Lewis, James 
Mattioli, Grace McDonnell, Anne Marie Murphy, Emilie Parker, Jack 
Pinto, Noah Pozner, Caroline Previdi, Jessica Rekos, Avielle Richman, 
Lauren Rousseau, Mary Sherlach, Victoria Soto, Benjamin Wheeler, and 
Allison Wyatt.
  Mr. Speaker, we can and we must do better in this great country. We 
must do better for all those who have been taken from us. We must do 
better by taking action in this, the people's House.
  The people are watching, the people are waiting, and they deserve 
that we do our best--and not to honor only with words and silence and 
prayers, important as those are, but to honor, even more importantly, 
by taking action to save future lives.
  Again, my thanks and my admiration to Representative Kelly for her 
extraordinary leadership and persistence.
  Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Esty for 
her words, her commitment, and her voice in making sure that those 26 
lives will never be forgotten.
  Mr. Speaker, my colleagues and I have been reading names for nearly 
half an hour, and we still have stacks and stacks of names--the names 
of Americans taken by gun violence--to still read. And, tragically, 
every day the list of names grows and grows as we do nothing to stop 
it.
  Children are murdered in their kindergarten classroom and we remain 
silent. Mothers and their children are killed in Cracker Barrel parking 
lots and we still do not act.
  Hadiya Pendleton, a smart, charming, and talented young woman who 
performed at Barack Obama's inauguration has been resting for nearly 5 
years. How much longer must she wait, Mr. Speaker?

  Country concerts, nightclubs, and even a congressional baseball 
practice have been shooting galleries, and the majority callously often 
calls for thoughts and prayers and moments of silence.
  Mr. Speaker, it is time to crawl out from under the gun lobby 
checkbook and do something--anything--to save American lives.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my good friend and 
colleague, Congresswoman Robin Kelly for tonight's special order hour 
on gun violence.
  Congresswoman Kelly is a stalwart leader against gun violence and 
serves as a visible, out-front advocate for putting an end to the gun 
violence epidemic.
  Far too many children, families, and communities have been devastated 
and destroyed by a gun inappropriately in the hands of a shooter.
  We have seen far too many deaths, too many young African-Americans 
with guns, too many killed by guns.
  My district in Central Ohio has seen an alarming rise in gun 
violence.
  Just this week, Columbus saw its 130th homicide of the year, which is 
closing in on an all-time record.
  We can and must do better.
  I stand with Congresswoman Kelly in her relentless efforts, calling 
on the Congress to honor victims through action.
  We can join together to pass commonsense gun laws--background checks; 
no fly-no buy; and safety locks.
  Gun violence is a health epidemic--one that we cannot address in 
isolation.
  We must fund mental health programs, we must address the needs of 
urban communities, and we must provide sustainable community and 
economic development initiatives to reduce violence--like community 
policing coupled with commonsense gun reforms.
  Tonight, Congresswoman Kelly puts a face on the victims of gun 
violence. I join and salute her for reading the names of victims.
  As we read the names, let us remember that, gun violence isn't a 
Democrat or Republican issue--it is an American issue requiring an 
American solution.

                          ____________________