[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 14, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H1551-H1552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THOUSANDS GATHER TO PROTEST GUN VIOLENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Harper). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, as we speak, thousands of young people from 
across the country are gathered outside to protest gun violence and to 
ask, to beseech, to demand that we take action.
  Mr. Speaker, we know what to do. We know that we ought to amend the 
law to provide effective background checks before people can purchase 
guns--not just background checks when you purchase from a licensed 
dealer, but background checks when you purchase a gun anyplace.
  We know that we ought to eliminate the 3-day limits so that, if they 
don't finish the background check within 3 days, you can't get your 
gun.
  We know that we should renew the assault weapons ban that was in 
effect from 1994 to 2004 so you can't buy military killing machines in 
this country for civilian use.
  We know we ought to ban the high-capacity magazines that can convert 
guns into killing machines for large numbers of people that have no 
other purpose. You don't hunt a deer with a high-capacity magazine.

  We know we ought to ban bump stocks, and we know the other things we 
ought to do.
  But we are, too many of us, cowards. We quell before the National 
Rifle Association.
  We know the fact is that it is guns in the hands of people that kill 
people. Compared to every other country in the world, every other 
industrial country in the world, we stand out like a sore thumb.
  If you look at other statistics, this country--Great Britain, 75 
people killed by guns in a year; another country, 142. No country is in 
more than three digits except the United States at 33,000.

[[Page H1552]]

  They tell it is mental health. The American people do not have mental 
health rates or lack of mental health 1,000 times or 10 times or 20 
times or 40 times more than people in Western Europe or Japan or 
Australia. You cannot explain a difference of 75 or 150 to 33,000 by 
mental health.
  They tell us we should arm teachers, but we know that trained police 
officers hit their targets about a third of the time when they fire a 
gun and, in a gunfight, when the adrenaline is running, 13 percent. If 
we arm the teachers, we will have more teachers and more students 
killed.
  We have a President who has shown cowardice. He criticized Senator 
Toomey for being afraid of the NRA, and then he, after meeting with the 
NRA, backed down on everything he said he would do.
  Mr. Speaker, as I said, we know what to do. We are the only country 
in the world with the kind of gun murder rates that we have.
  The Republicans have opposed all the measures that we ought to take, 
but the Republicans have a choice. They can continue to be complicit in 
their repeated slaughter in our schools, in our churches, in our 
concert halls, and in our streets by continuing their cowardly 
subservience to the NRA, or they can act to protect us and our 
children. They know how to do it. They cannot have it both ways. Let's 
see what they do.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to refrain from 
engaging in personalities toward the President.

                              {time}  1100
                 IN SUPPORT OF GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Payne) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, the NRA--the NRA--the NRA stands for ``No 
Republican Action.''
  It has been a month since 17 children and their teachers were gunned 
down while at school in Parkland, Florida. It has been more than 5 
years since 26 children and their teachers were slaughtered in Sandy 
Hook.
  In both of these instances, the same weapon was used: an AR-15 
semiautomatic assault rifle.
  And Congress still has taken no action to end gun violence.
  Mr. Speaker, there have been more than three dozen moments of silence 
related to gun violence since the Sandy Hook massacre. There have been 
zero moments of action.
  As those of us who are married or have children know, the silent 
treatment doesn't work at home. Well, it surely isn't working in 
Congress. There are dozens of reasonable gun safety bills pending in 
this esteemed legislature, but the majority party is giving the 
American people the silent treatment.
  NRA: No Republican action.
  Meanwhile, between the moments of silence, around 7,000 children have 
been killed by guns since 2012.
  NRA: No Republican action.
  Let us take action on Mr. Cicilline's assault weapon ban to end the 
flood of new semiautomatic assault weapons onto the streets.
  Let us take action on Mr. Thompson's bill to strengthen the 
background checks.
  What is the problem with making sure that we check each person's 
background? Does the NRA say that that is wrong, too?
  There is no Republican action.
  Let us take action on my Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act to 
encourage people to safely, freely make the economic decision to self-
disarm and dispose of most of their violent weapons.
  Mr. Speaker, the NRA spends tens of millions of dollars in our 
elections. I received a grade of F. It is the first F that I have ever 
gotten that I was proud of.
  What do the American people get?
  They get no Republican action. Let us end the silence of inaction.

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