[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 97 (Tuesday, June 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H5078-H5083]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1930
             2-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF PULSE NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bacon). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 3, 2017, the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings) 
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. DEMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. DEMINGS. Mr. Speaker, today marks 2 years since the Pulse 
shooting. Tonight, my colleague Congressman Soto and I stand on the 
floor of the United States House of Representatives to honor and 
remember the victims of that horrible night.
  The Pulse attack was the second worst mass shooting marring American 
history, the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11, and the 
worst attack against the LGBTQ population in our history.
  This evening, in our hometown of Orlando, thousands of people are 
gathered, like they were 1 year ago and 1 year after that. They gather 
to mourn, to honor, and to pay tribute to the 49 lives we lost on June 
12, 2016, just as we do here tonight.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish I could be there with my friends, neighbors, and 
loved ones in Orlando, but I felt it was important to be here, 
fulfilling our duty as Members of Congress. We stand here tonight on 
the floor of the House of Representatives so that the world will not 
forget the lives we lost in the Pulse nightclub shooting.
  This month, we are celebrating Pride Month. June 1 was Gun Violence 
Awareness Day. For the men and women at Pulse 2 years ago, the 
nightclub was a refuge. It was a haven for our LGBTQ community and 
their friends; and particularly, it was Latin Night, and they gathered 
to celebrate. It was a place where, my bishop likes to say, they were 
there for a late night fellowship.
  This is what I want to emphasize. The victims at Pulse, like every 
other mass shooting, were not in the wrong place at the wrong time. 
They were living their lives, taking refuge in song, dance, joy, and 
celebrating their common humanity at a time when the common humanity of 
LGBTQ Americans was not, and it is still not, universally recognized in 
our country.
  It was supposed to be, Mr. Speaker, like any other Saturday night for 
the men and women inside the Pulse nightclub. It was about 2:02 a.m., 
when everyone was closing their tabs for the night and about to head 
home. That is when an ISIS-inspired gunman walked into the club with an 
assault rifle and a handgun. Within a few minutes, he killed 49 people 
and wounded 53 others.
  The innocent men and women in the club didn't stand a chance against 
the gunman. We will return to that point later. The fact is that the 
weapons available to this gunman made his attack, in many instances, as 
bad as a battlefield.
  Orlando lost 49 lives that night; we lost 49 lives that night. Many 
others have had their lives changed forever. But after the attack, we 
saw our community come together. We donated blood together. We raised 
money together, and we mourned and grieved together. Mr. Speaker, 
tonight we continue to mourn, and we continue to grieve.

[[Page H5079]]

  Together with my colleague, Congressman Darren Soto, we want to 
remember the victims, tell their stories, and celebrate the lives we 
lost 2 years ago.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto), my 
colleague, whom I am absolutely honored to serve with.
  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Demings. I thank her for 
her service in law enforcement. I know she can view this at a level 
that some of us who have never witnessed this type of tragedy, never 
felt this type of tragedy--she has an understanding of it that I am 
grateful for her imparting to me.
  As someone who was a State legislator and a lawyer, I have never seen 
this kind of tragedy up close. And even still to this day, as we 
remember these 49 souls, these 49 angels whom we lost and the 68 
injured 2 years ago at the Pulse nightclub tragedy in Orlando, we 
still, as a community, are trying to understand this carnage, this 
loss, this tragedy. Our hearts still ache, Mr. Speaker.
  This was the single deadliest known violent attack on the LGBTQ 
community, an attack on our Latino community, an attack on our African 
American community, and an attack on the whole Orlando community. Until 
last September, it was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. Mr. 
Speaker, they have gotten even deadlier, with Las Vegas just recently.
  Yet our community showed its resiliency and strength in the face of 
diversity. Orlando Strong is more than just a hashtag; it is our 
commitment to pledge to stand up to hate and to gun violence. Since 
then, Floridians stand stronger than ever.
  Over the past 2 days, I have had the honor of attending events with 
Congresswoman Murphy, Congresswoman Demings, and Congressman Mark 
Takano, co-chair of the LGBT Congressional Caucus. We had an LGBTQ 
roundtable with local groups. We visited the Pulse Memorial. We helped 
hand out scholarships under the 49 Fund Scholarship Ceremony. We toured 
The LGBT Center. We went to a rally on action for gun violence. We went 
to the Orange County History Museum to see the history of those days, 
and I joined with Congresswoman Val Demings, my colleague here today, 
to hear the 49 church bells ring for the 49 victims at the First United 
Methodist Church in downtown Orlando.
  Today, we honor the 49 lives taken by displaying love, acceptance, 
and kindness. But, most importantly, we honor them with action. That 
has been the theme over the last couple of days: we honor them with 
action.
  I would like to recognize and focus my comments, in large part 
tonight, on following local groups and survivors in central Florida 
who, 2 years later, continue to transform their grief and mourning into 
positive change for all.

  We cannot change the tragedy that happened. We cannot change the 
past. We cannot bring back those 49 angels whom we lost, but we can 
give meaning to this great tragedy through action to make sure these 
types of shootings no longer are commonplace in our society. We honor 
them with action.
  First, I would like to talk about Brandon Wolf. Brandon, a native of 
Oregon, was one of the survivors during the Pulse nightclub shooting on 
June 12, 2 years ago today.
  Brandon moved to Orlando in 2008, after attending the University of 
Oregon Political Science School. He now lives in Tallahassee, where he 
has become a leading activist in LGBTQ issues in minority youth.
  After the shooting, Brandon and his friends launched The Dru Project, 
named after Drew Leinonen, an LGBTQ nonprofit organization on a mission 
to spread love across the Nation. I got to meet with Drew's mother this 
past week at our LGBT roundtable, and I will talk a little bit more 
about that in a little while.
  The advocacy group sponsors gay-straight alliances in public schools 
and offers scholarships to help send future leaders to college. In 
August of last year, Brandon joined the board of advisers for a 
political action committee dedicated to ending gun violence.
  Following the Pulse tragedy, Brandon was inspired by Drew's words: 
``We never say I love you enough.'' He travels the Nation speaking on 
behalf of LGBTQ youth--education, commonsense gun legislation, and the 
future of intersectionality are some of the topics he discusses--
spreading the message of unconditional love and inclusion.
  I attended the Pulse rally to honor them with action yesterday, 
organized by Brandon at Orlando City Hall, an amazing event that I will 
talk a little bit more about tonight.
  Another call for action, to honor them with action was the onePULSE 
Foundation. The onePULSE Foundation was established by the owners of 
Pulse nightclub, including Barbara Poma, to create a sanctuary of hope 
following the shooting.
  The foundation supports the design, construction, maintenance, and 
operation of a memorial and museum to remember the Pulse nightclub 
shooting. They also work towards giving out community grants to care 
for the victims' families and the survivors.
  The foundation has currently established an interim memorial, which 
serves as a sanctuary of quiet reflection and love, dedicated to 
honoring the senseless loss of innocent life. There is hope to create 
an official permanent museum in the future, something that I look 
forward to working on with my colleagues, Congresswoman Demings and 
Congresswoman Murphy.
  The onePULSE Foundation is also creating annual 49 individual college 
scholarships named in honor of each victim and designed for their 
specific vocations, hobbies, or life aspirations. Through their work, 
the onePULSE Foundation makes sure that the names and legacies of each 
of the victims, the 49 victims, these angels whom we lost that night, 
live on and are never forgotten.
  I would also like to talk about our Q-LatinX community. LatinX is a 
term referring to our younger, next generation of our Latin community. 
In fact, many of our more senior Hispanics think: What the heck are 
these crazy kids talking about with LatinX? It is a self-styling of 
folks who are Millennials and who are Generation X who are Latin.
  It is amazing that this name has come into the common nomenclature 
now, really amazing, and a testament to this kind of intersectionality 
that we saw that night, that we lost so much of, that is now being 
highlighted as a result.
  Q-LatinX was founded in response to the mass shooting and active hate 
that occurred on June 12, 2 years ago today, at the Pulse nightclub. 
Its mission is to bring together and empower the most marginalized 
members of our community, establish affirming and supportive healing 
relationships and spaces, build a strong and united community, and work 
towards a society free of fear, violence, and hate.
  Through their program of social justice education, they built a 
supportive infrastructure, addressing inequity and promoting 
inclusionary practices for local leadership and partnership agencies.
  Q-LatinX strives to give a voice to the community. Through their 
immigration committee and HIV prevention education committee, Q-LatinX 
makes sure to prioritize issues that affect both the LGBTQ and Latino 
communities.

                              {time}  1945

  But it gets at this bigger issue of intersectionality.
  I know when you look at our 49 victims, just like the rainbow flag 
that honors our LGBTQ community, it is a rainbow of individuals, a 
rainbow of backgrounds, and it is symbolic of the intersectionality of 
Orlando, an area that Congresswomen Demings and Murphy have the honor 
of representing with me. I am proud of that diversity, and I know 
Congresswoman Demings and Congresswoman Murphy are proud of that 
diversity.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to now give Congresswoman Demings the opportunity 
to continue her impressions on both intersectionality, gun violence, 
and so many other issues that I know that we will be addressing 
tonight.
  Mrs. DEMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Soto as he 
talked about the advocacy that we have seen in the place that we call 
home, the place that we love in Orlando.
  It is amazing how, out of the ashes, out of tragedy, good things can 
happen. We are so proud of Brandon and others like him who have turned 
their unbelievable, unbearable pain into action.

[[Page H5080]]

  Congressman Soto said one of the best ways to honor the victims is 
through action. When we looked at the devastation 2 years ago, we 
started a serious conversation about how to do that.
  Of course, this year is a painful time for us, for Orlando, for our 
Nation, for the world, for so many who grieved with us and continue to 
grieve with us. But as we think about action and what has happened 
since Pulse, I just have to mention a horrible tragedy that happened in 
Orlando yesterday, as we talk about gun violence and continue to work 
hard to turn our pain into advocacy and to legislation.
  Yesterday, the Orlando Police Department responded to a domestic 
violence call. The suspect was a convicted domestic abuser who had been 
arrested several other times for felonious actions and for violating 
his probation, but he also had a gun.
  When the officers arrived, he opened fire, hitting one officer, 
Officer Kevin Valencia, who had been with the department since 2016. 
This young officer is in his twenties, and he has a wife and two young 
children. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Officer Valencia, who is 
in critical condition, fighting for his life.
  But, inside, the shooter had his partner's four young children:
  Irayan was 12. She wore glasses with pink rims. She had dark, wavy 
hair and a bright smile. At school, she was known as an overachiever.
  Lillia was 10. She was blonde and wore glasses.
  Aiden was 6. He and his sister attended Sadler Elementary School, and 
he loved dinosaurs.
  Dove was 1 year old. She loved to play outside.
  Officers evacuated the apartment complex where the standoff was 
occurring. Neighbors stood by in parking lots, some of them in their 
pajamas, while the hours ticked away. But when the police entered the 
apartment, desperate to save lives, they found all four children dead, 
as well as the shooter.
  As we very painfully remember the victims of Pulse, a day before the 
2-year anniversary, we lost two young girls and two young boys. These 
children will never grow up, will never realize their full potential.
  It is amazing what our children are now having to endure and having 
to deal with. A 10-year-old girl who lives in the area spoke to a 
reporter this morning, and she said: ``He killed himself and killed the 
little kids.'' That is this 10-year-old girl's reality.
  Gun violence kills our children. It kills our future. It breaks into 
our homes, our theaters, our restaurants, our nightclubs. It turns 
nightclubs into shooting ranges. It turns homes into battlefields. It 
turns schools into theaters of war at worst, prisons at best.
  We have few answers at this point about what happened and why on the 
eve of a 2-year anniversary of Pulse, why this man, this convicted 
felon with a history of violence, had a gun.
  We know that in more than half of our Nation's mass shootings, a 
family member is at least one of the victims.
  We know that in nearly half of our Nation's mass shootings, there are 
warning signs beforehand, often violence against family members.
  Let's think about it. Before a gunman in Sutherland Springs, Texas, 
killed 26 people, he had been convicted of domestic violence. Before a 
shooter tried to kill our friends and colleagues at the congressional 
baseball practice, he had beat his foster daughter and shot a gun at 
her boyfriend. Before the Sandy Hook murderer killed 20 children and 
six others at a Connecticut elementary school, he first killed his 
mother.
  There are usually warning signs beforehand.
  The Pulse shooting was no exception. Before the Pulse gunman murdered 
49, he beat his previous wife and locked her away from her family.
  The American Journal of Public Health found that having a gun in the 
household during a domestic violence situation makes it five times more 
likely that the abuse will turn into a homicide.
  So what do we do? What do we do as we talk about the advocacy that we 
are so proud of that is going on in our hometown? What do we do as 
legislators in one of the most powerful bodies not only in our country, 
but in the world?
  We remember our victims. We tell their stories. We grieve with their 
families and with the survivors.
  Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield to Congressman Soto to continue to 
share his thoughts with us.
  Ms. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Demings for bringing up 
something that I know has troubled all Orlandoans right now, which is a 
day before the second annual remembrance of the Pulse nightclub 
shooting, we had a standoff where four children were killed. It is a 
testament to the fact that there is so much left to be done.
  Next I want to talk about Christopher Hansen. Christopher Hansen is a 
survivor of the Pulse nightclub shooting. That night, he personally 
helped save the lives of those around him by assisting injured victims.

  Mr. Hansen is now a member of the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence's 
board of advisors. Pride Fund works towards supporting candidates on 
the Federal and State level who will promote gun reform and advocate 
for LGBTQ safety and equality. Pride Fund is currently America's only 
LGBTQ organization that focuses solely on gun policy reform to ensure 
safety for all.
  Through his own recovery, Hansen has found a home in a community 
which he recently joined months before the shootings. He has become a 
spokesperson for the memory of those killed at the Pulse nightclub and 
a central figure of support for survivors and everyone affected by the 
tragedy.
  In an op-ed for the Orlando Weekly, Christopher writes: ``It started 
with an invitation. An invitation to a popular gay nightclub in 
Orlando, Florida: Pulse. In preparation for my night out, I decided to 
see a movie--'The Conjuring 2'--a horror movie based on a true story. 
Little did I know that I would have a night of horror of my own. And my 
night of painting the town red would be drenched in blood.
  ``Before the attack, I was having the time of my life. I was tearing 
up the dance floor and mingling with fellow club-goers. Then everything 
changed. I heard three loud booms, but I didn't think much of it. I 
continued dancing, thinking it was the base from the music and not the 
sound of gunshots. By the time I realized what was happening, screams, 
smoke, and flashing lights filled the club. People were rushing toward 
me, desperately looking for exits and places to hide. I followed the 
crowds and moved past the bathroom where people were hiding. I managed 
to get out unscathed. There was a pause in gunfire, and I was compelled 
to go back. Before I knew it, the gunfire started again, and I watched 
two men heading towards the hospital--one was shot twice. I urged his 
friend to keep him calm as I tried to stop the bleeding. I took my 
bandana off and wrapped it around one bullet wound, and pressed my hand 
on the other, praying he wouldn't die. I kept him level on the curb 
until an ambulance arrived.
  ``I turned and saw a girl in the grass, begging to be moved because 
she couldn't get up. We were told not to move her to avoid further 
injury, but I couldn't ignore her cries. I picked her up and her body 
became cold. I put her on my lap, which saved her life; she was shot in 
the back, and my thigh pressed against her wound. As she began to fall 
asleep, I slapped her face and asked her questions. Through keeping her 
awake, I learned her name was Kalisha, and she was a 19-year-old from 
Ohio.''
  Just 19 years old.
  ``A man came to me and said I saved him as well, but I didn't 
remember; everything became a blur.
  ``I wanted to help as many people as I could, but I was later told to 
leave since I wasn't a professionally trained paramedic. My phone died 
earlier that night and my wallet was still in the club. Without a way 
to contact loved ones or money to get home, I walked the streets of 
Orlando covered in blood. I feared for my life that night and felt 
helpless and alone. I thought about the victims who were still there 
and the families who would learn their loved ones never made it home.
  ``That night, I met the mother of a victim I had seen hiding in the 
bathroom. She showed me his frantic text messages. His name was Eddie 
Justice, and he was killed in that very bathroom. The girls I met that 
night, Akyra Murray, Tiara Parker, and Patience Carter, were hiding in 
the same bathroom--all three had been shot.

[[Page H5081]]

Akyra, who just graduated from high school and was ready to attend 
Mercyhurst University in the fall on a basketball scholarship, had 
died. At 18 years old, she was the youngest Pulse victim.''
  18 years old. We lost her.

                              {time}  2000

  ``Her life was drastically cut short due to gun violence and someone 
with easy access to military-style assault weapons.
  ``Forty-nine people lost their lives that night, and another 38,000 
will lose their life this year to senseless gun violence. I've joined 
Pride Fund's Board of Advisors so I can be a voice for the survivors 
and victims of Pulse, Las Vegas, and every shooting to come.
  ``Pride Fund's mission to save lives starts by supporting candidates 
on the Federal and State level who will act on sensible gun reform and 
champion for LGBTQ safety and equality. Pride Fund and I are turning 
tragedy into action''--they are also honoring these victims with 
action--``through a focus on commonsense gun reforms like enacting 
background checks, limiting ammunition sales, and preventing those 
convicted of hate crimes from purchasing guns.
  ``Members of Congress, reluctant as they are to cross the NRA, can 
effect change. They can address the easy access to assault weapons, 
large-capacity magazines, and ammunition sales. They can address our 
safety, rather than focusing instead on the safety of their own seats, 
courtesy of NRA cash.
  ``If Members of Congress won't prioritize our safety, then we have 
the power to find those that will.''
  Those are powerful words by Christopher Hansen of the Orlando Weekly, 
so I want to take a few minutes about action.
  First, I want to talk about gun reform actions and lack of actions on 
the Federal and on the State level. On the Federal level, we have had 
some reforms actually pass this past year. In the omnibus, we saw that 
the CDC can now study gun violence, even though they are not allowed to 
take any positions or say anything that would be deemed to promote or 
to advocate against gun violence.
  We had a Fix NICS bill that will ensure that our agencies are getting 
the information about those who have been convicted of crimes or those 
who may be ineligible for other reasons into the background check 
system earlier, so that those background checks will be more accurate. 
We even see rulemaking to potentially ban bump stocks which were used 
in the Las Vegas shooting.
  But the list is short of action that has been taken by this Congress, 
and the list of unfinished business is long.
  First, is the failure to even give a hearing on re-instituting the 
Federal assault weapon ban. I say re-instituting because many people 
forget, from 1994 to 2004, we had such a ban. During that time, 
people's Second Amendment rights were still in effect; but we banned 
weapons that have no civilian use whatsoever. And we saw, during that 
period, the statistics bear out, because when you look at gun violence 
and mass shootings at that time, I challenge anybody watching this 
tonight across America to recall whether they remember during that time 
the number of mass shootings, the number of deaths during the assault 
weapons ban.
  Then we look at 2004-2014, the number of incidents tripled. The 
number of deaths tripled. And that is just to 2014, not including 
Charleston or Vegas or the Pulse nightclub shooting or recently, in 
Parkland.
  We also see universal background checks still not fixed. Ninety 
percent of Americans support this. Ninety percent of Americans support 
that there should no longer be loopholes in our universal background 
checks.
  That you could easily, right now, sell in a gun show without any 
background check; this makes no sense. You could sell in a private sale 
without a background check; this makes no sense. This is an easy way 
for people who are wholly ineligible to be able to buy guns every day 
in every State.
  And so what is the purpose of fixing our Fix NICS bill and having 
better background checks, if these giant loopholes that swallow the 
whole?
  Also, these extended magazine clips. The reason people heard 45 to 50 
shots fired in a minute is because of these extended magazines and 
these assault weapons. When you have a shotgun, when you have a 
handgun--and I will let Congresswoman Val Demings talk a little bit 
more with her background in law enforcement--yes, you can hurt people. 
But you can't do the kind of carnage we have seen with these assault 
weapons. And I look forward to hearing your opinions on that 
Congresswoman Demings.
  I also want to talk about gun reform on the State level. We had some 
victories, we had some defeats. After fighting to keep guns out of 
teachers' hands in schools, that battle was lost; while we have been 
able to prevent them from being on college campuses.
  But we did have some positives, and I give 100 percent of the credit 
to the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting and 
the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting, who stood hand in hand and 
went up to Tallahassee to advocate for greater gun safety. And I could 
say, having survived nearly 10 years in the Florida Legislature, it is 
not a welcome place for a lot of these reforms.
  But they had some great reforms passed. They raised the age to 
purchase firearms from 18 to 21. They banned bump stocks--which, 
President Trump, it is time to follow suit like they did in Florida. 
Attorney General Sessions, it is time to get those rules in place.
  They also were able to harden our schools. Now that is something that 
I was remiss before to not mention. We did have the Safe Schools Act to 
help harden our schools.
  They also created critical red flag legislation that allows our law 
enforcement--and I look forward to your comments on this as well, from 
your background, Congresswoman Demings--to allow law enforcement 
officers who are on the scene and see that someone will be a danger to 
others, to be able to take away their guns for a limited time period 
and then to be able to go and request a judge to get it back. We do 
this in domestic violence, as you are familiar with.
  So these are things that actually have happened in Florida that are 
moving the ball forward. And if it can happen in our State, that has 
been so protective of some of these critical reforms, I believe it can 
happen, both on the Federal level and that Republicans and Democrats 
can join together for these reforms.
  But the last thing I want to talk about, but not least, are first 
responders, because you can't talk about action without talking about 
our first responders. The brave men and women of the Orlando Police 
Department that you had the honor of being chief of, Congresswoman 
Demings; the brave men and women of the Orange County Sheriff's Office, 
which your husband is our honorable sheriff of; our Orlando and our 
Orange County Fire Department who were on the scene, along with our 
EMTs, to give lifesaving aid to 68 injured people and try to save some 
of those 49 we lost.
  We have had some action to help out our first responders, too. Our 
UCF Restores program, which helps with PTSD for firefighters, law 
enforcement, and our military, immerses these heroes into virtual 
reality so that they can, unfortunately, have to relive those 
experiences, but then meet with a psychologist or a psychiatrist to 
talk about that, to bring up these repressed memories. And we have had 
tremendous success. We have had tremendous feedback from our local fire 
departments, from our local law enforcement, and from our military.
  We are able to work together, you and I and Congresswoman Murphy, to 
get $4 million in our Federal budget and open up more of this 
treatment, not only to our military, but to victims of sexual assault 
in this recent National Defense Authorization Act bill.
  We also saw, and I will let you expound on this more, anti-terrorism 
dollars finally come back down to Orlando, that you led the charge on. 
And thank you for that, Congresswoman Demings, for doing that, from 
your perch helping out with homeland security and being our expert on 
security and on antiterrorism, protecting the homeland.
  And then, finally, I want to end this part of our section by talking 
about the advancements in our pension system in Florida to help out our 
first responders. Your husband was a leader, is

[[Page H5082]]

a leader, but was a leader in the State Legislature, as Sheriff, to 
help with the Adam Pierce Act, which made sure that our fallen law 
enforcement who were paralyzed but still wanted to work, wouldn't lose 
their pensions because they want to do some administrative work and 
want to still be involved and want to go to work every day and do their 
part for justice. And that was a bill that your husband spearheaded 
through, and I remember.
  We also had an amendment of my bill onto that bill; you may or may 
not recall, and the Sheriff was really nice to allow us to do it along 
with law enforcement, to help our firefighters.
  There was a loophole where, if our firefighters died in training 
exercises, they would get nothing. They would get no death benefit for 
their families. They wouldn't get the healthcare benefit. They would be 
left with nothing because of this loophole.
  And John C. Curry, Mr. Begg, and Mr. Mickle from Osceola County, John 
Curry, from Volusia County, they, retrospectively, were able to get 
relief because we made it retrospective.
  Then finally, we were able to, after we lost Deputy Pine in Orange 
County, with Sheriff Jerry Demings helping us lead the way, made sure 
that first responders who died in the line of duty didn't get 50 
percent of their pension. They weren't half heroes. They now get 100 
percent of their pension for their families, because they are 100 
percent heroes and they gave 100 percent of their life and put 100 
percent of their courage and their life on the line. And, at the very 
least, their families can be taken care of when they are no longer with 
us.
  So there is a lot that we have honored with action over the years, 
both before and after Pulse. But there is a lot more to go, and I look 
forward to hearing your comments on that, Congresswoman Demings.
  And thank you again for your service as our Orlando chief. And I know 
that there is a lot that you could bring to this conversation that we 
are continuing on with based upon your rich experience in these fields.
  Mrs. DEMINGS. Congressman Soto, I want to thank you so much for 
several things that you've talked about.
  First of all, your recognition of our first responders, our brave 
police officers and firefighters and the absolutely amazing job that 
they do, not just in Orlando, but across the Nation, to keep, as you 
put it, our homeland safe.
  When you think about it, our first responders get called to every 
tragedy. I heard someone once say that--I believe it was Chief David 
Brown, former Chief David Brown in Dallas, Texas who said that every 
time society fails or something goes wrong, law enforcement's called in 
to deal with it, to fix it. So thank you for your recognition of them.
  We lost four law enforcement officers in the line of duty last year. 
And we have one, as you heard me mention earlier, Officer Valencia, who 
is in the hospital fighting for his life.
  I also thank you for the beginning comments when you talked about the 
bravery of some of the survivors at the Pulse nightclub, those who did 
what they could to shield others from harm, to help others get to 
places of safety.
  But also, I think the elephant in the room are the giant loopholes 
that you spoke about. When we share the stories of the Pulse victims, 
it is impossible to separate those stories from the discussion of gun 
violence in this country. The two are certainly intertwined, and we 
cannot discuss one without discussing the other.
  As we remember the lives of these 49 victims, and countless others 
throughout the great Nation that we serve, I am reminded that every 
American should have the right to go to school or church or a mall, 
synagogue, a movie theater or a nightclub without being brutally 
murdered or wounded by someone with a gun.

                              {time}  2015

  You have reminded me, Congressman Soto, that our job as legislators 
is to create laws that allow Americans to live their lives in safety 
and security. Two years after Pulse, we have not done that job, and you 
so clearly pointed that out in your comments.
  We have not closed the loopholes that allow disturbed people to buy a 
gun without a background check, even though we represent Americans and 
97 percent of Americans support that idea.
  We have not implemented universal background checks while we 
represent Americans, although 83 percent of Americans support universal 
background checks.
  We have not banned assault weapons like the one that was used to take 
so many lives in the Pulse shooting, the Las Vegas shooting, the 
Parkland shooting, and so many others, while 67 percent of Americans 
support banning assault weapons.
  The gentleman talked earlier about what those weapons were designed 
to do. I spent 27 years in law enforcement. I can tell you that they 
were designed for the battlefield. Persons shot by assault weapons, the 
chances of survival are greatly diminished.
  They were not designed for the streets of our neighborhoods and in 
our communities and in our school campuses and at our churches and in 
our movie theaters and other places that are designated safe places.
  No, we have not banned bump stocks. What sense does it make to say 
that automatic weapons are illegal, but allow individuals to go out 
and, for less than $200, purchase a device that will take your 
semiautomatic weapon and make it function like an automatic weapon?
  As the gentleman mentioned earlier, no, we have not fully empowered 
law enforcement to better protect our families by allowing them to 
temporarily remove guns from troubled individuals.
  Mr. Speaker, 2 years after Pulse is more than 2 years too late, but 
the time is always right. I believe Dr. King said this, to do what is 
right.
  Instead of responding to mass shootings where police officers are 
shot in the head, and children are killed and other innocent people, we 
should work to prevent them. As a police chief, my goal was to stop 
violence from occurring in the first place. We, as Members of Congress, 
have the ability to do that.
  Congress has acted on this issue before. We passed the National 
Firearms Act of, gosh, 1934; the Gun Control Act of 1968; the Gun-Free 
Schools Act; the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act; and the Federal 
assault weapons bans. These were bipartisan efforts that saved lives.
  Where is the legislative response to the Pulse shooting 2 years 
later? Where is the legislative response to the Parkland shooting?
  I urge my colleagues, my friends, let's do our job and make schools 
and theaters and nightclubs of our country truly safe.
  Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman from Florida has 12 minutes 
remaining.
  Mrs. DEMINGS. Mr. Speaker, we are here tonight to honor the victims 
of Pulse. They deserve to be remembered. Their families deserve 
recognition, and they also deserve action. The men, the women, the 
mothers, the fathers, the sons and daughters, the brothers and sisters 
gunned down in our country deserve remembrance.
  They also deserve courage from their leaders. They deserve action 
from us.
  As we utilize the last, I guess, 11 minutes now, I will yield to 
Congressman Soto to just kind of wrap up his thoughts and leave with us 
some words that, hopefully, will carry us to the right direction.
  Mr. SOTO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Congresswoman for yielding. Of 
course, at the end of this, I am going to give the gentlewoman the last 
word, if that is okay with her.
  So it has been a busy last couple of days as we pay tribute to the 
second annual remembrance of the Pulse nightclub shooting. This 
weekend, I got to go to PrideFest Kissimmee, and there is much to be 
proud about in Kissimmee. We actually have a human rights ordinance in 
Kissimmee County and Osceola County.
  People in Orange and Osceola can't be fired if they are gay or 
lesbian, bisexual or transgender. But in a third county I represent, 
Polk County, they still can be. In fact, there is a community called 
Poinciana that is in both counties. If you live on the east side of 
Poinciana, you have rights. If you live on the west side, you still do 
not.
  We also have now the Zebra Coalition that works with LGBT youth who 
are subject to bullying and can be intimidated. We are about to get the 
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in Kissimmee as well to be a beacon of services and of hope, a safe 
place in a county that welcomes inclusiveness.
  I also got to go to the 49 Fund scholarship ceremony where we saw 
LGBT youth be awarded scholarships. These are the future leaders who 
talk about how they are going to lead in LGBT rights, lead in gun 
safety reform. But I believe education is the seed of hope to stop this 
hate from happening in the future, and the future is bright.
  We also had Congressman Mark Takano come down to visit with us, the 
co-chair of the LGBT caucus, for an LGBTQ roundtable. We heard about 
how HIV funds are being cut in Florida because Federal funds are being 
cut, even though our State trades off with being the number one State 
for new HIV contraction. So this is an issue that is affecting us.
  We heard there about how these transgender school guidelines were one 
of the first things that the Trump administration took out, which is 
now leading schools to uncertainty in how they have to protect these 
vulnerable kids.
  Also, we heard even about some of the things that we take for 
granted, like that we are going to be having, through Zebra Coalition, 
an LGBTQ prom, because a lot of these kids, they get outcast in high 
school, and we want it to be an inclusive community. We are an 
inclusive community.
  We also visited the Pulse nightclub memorial with Barbara Poma, and 
we watched the photos of grief. We looked at the names. We signed in 
and took our pilgrimage.

  We went to the GLBT Center and heard about them coordinating services 
on that day and afterward, about the outpouring of love and supplies, 
and folks coming in to ask what they could do to help.
  Then last night, we had the rally against gun violence. It rained the 
whole time, but people's spirits were up. This was the neatest point: 
It ended with an actual rainbow. Because the sun came out, a rainbow 
came down. It was right after our prayer, so I believe God was watching 
and gave us a sign with a rainbow at the end of that.
  Then the Orange County Historical Museum this morning, as we saw in 
the photographs, we saw the memorabilia and more quilts than I have 
ever seen in my life, beautiful, colored tapestries, pictures of so 
many of our friends who fought side by side, and memorialized this 
great tragedy.
  Lastly, we were at First United Methodist Church. The gentlewoman and 
I got to participate in that this morning, where we heard the 49 bells 
with each of the victim's names being discussed, being memorialized.
  So I am going to leave it back to the gentlewoman and say it was an 
honor to be able to be there this morning, to hear the ringing of the 
49 bells for our 49 victims, and we will never forget. I thank 
Congresswoman Demings for spending this time with me.
  Mrs. DEMINGS. Mr. Speaker, 49 bells to represent 49 people. Our 
community declared June 12 to be Orlando United Day, a day of love and 
kindness.
  Today, we take time to remember the 49 angels and all of those who 
still carry physical and mental wounds from that day, 2 years after the 
attack.
  I believe, Congressman Soto, more strongly than ever, that love will 
win. While the pain will never go away, I do believe that we have an 
obligation to turn our pain into action. We will not forget those who 
lost their lives.
  I am proud to represent a community that has acted with such 
incredible strength and love. I am proud to continue to honor these men 
and women, not only through our words, but through our actions. I am 
also proud to be joined by Congressman Soto, and I thank the gentleman 
for his unwavering commitment and dedication to protecting our 
homeland, and his commitment to creating and passing meaningful 
legislation to keep guns out of the hands of bad people.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his advocacy and his 
leadership on this issue, and I thank him for joining me in this day of 
remembrance.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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