[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 35 (Tuesday, February 27, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H1276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              GUN VIOLENCE

  (Ms. BARRAGAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. BARRAGAN. Mr. Speaker, how many people must die for Congress to 
act and address the severe epidemic of gun violence in America?
  We were devastated by the massacres in Newtown; Las Vegas; Orlando; 
and most recently in Parkland, Florida. On the Hill today are the 
courageous students from the Parkland high school, Marjory Stoneman 
Douglas. They came to Washington with one message: for Congress to take 
action now on gun violence.
  Action doesn't mean holding moments of silence. Action doesn't mean 
tweeting thoughts and prayers. Action means passing meaningful 
legislation, like the overwhelming majority of Americans are pleading 
with us to do.
  We should start by banning weapons of war, like the AR-15 and high-
capacity magazines. We should allow the CDC to once again research the 
causes of gun violence that can better protect our communities. And we 
should also act to pass legislation to require universal background 
checks.
  Yesterday, Democrats filed a motion to force a vote on universal 
background checks. Not a single Republican has signed on to the motion. 
I implore my Republican colleagues to sign up to call for action 
because inaction means that more people will die and more families will 
grieve and our students will continue to feel unsafe.

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