[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 104 (Thursday, June 21, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H5365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  GUN VIOLENCE IN TRENTON, NEW JERSEY

  The SPEAKER. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New Jersey 
(Mrs. Watson Coleman) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, a few days ago, at the Trenton Art 
All Night Festival, a fight between two individuals resulted in a mass 
shooting; 17 people shot, at least one critically injured. Fortunately, 
the only casualty--fatality, I should say--was one of the shooters.
  Even so, nearly 20 people shot at a community festival dedicated to 
breathing new life into the city and bringing the community together 
around something that is positive deserves our attention.
  Unfortunately, we have a bad habit of assigning sympathy and coverage 
only to certain kinds of shootings. In fact, it is safe to say that 
there are some who believe that there are communities in which gun 
violence will always be an unavoidable norm. That is false. That is a 
horrible and destructive stereotype that ignores the underpinning of 
our conversation about guns.
  From access to excessively destructive accessories, guns are the 
problem.
  NRA advocates would argue that in Parkland the shooter got his gun 
legally. But should an 18-year-old be able to buy a gun, especially 
when that gun is never going to be used for sport?
  Those same advocates would argue that most shootings in urban areas 
occur with illegally obtained weapons and that no regulation would 
prevent them. But because we refuse to require registries, we don't 
know where these guns come from. Perhaps if we did, perhaps if we knew 
who the first buyer was and which States those illegal weapons came 
from, they wouldn't end up in the wrong hands.
  Mr. Speaker, our country's gun problem isn't a single-sided one. It 
is multifaceted and will require more than just one angle to solve.
  Fortunately, from members of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force 
alone, there are more than 70 proposals that seek to address this 
singular and deadly crisis. I am responsible for two of them: The STOP 
Online Ammunition Sales Act of 2017 to flag for law enforcement large 
bullet and ammunition purchases that suggest the kind of stockpiling 
that precedes an attack; and the Handgun Licensing and Registration 
bill, which would create the kind of registry that might help us keep 
more weapons out of the wrong hands.
  Earlier this week, I wrote a letter to you, Mr. Speaker, asking for 
consideration of any one of these 70 bills in honor of the victims of 
Sunday's shooting. I have yet to receive a response to my question, and 
with the paralyzing fear that seems to grip my Republican colleagues 
whenever we mention guns, I don't have high hopes that I will get one.
  But I do know that the longer we continue to ignore this problem, the 
more people will be hurt and the more lives will be lost.
  At work, at school, at the grocery store, at the playground, in the 
homes with violent partners, by accident during play dates, at the 
hands of those suffering from mental illness, with or without law 
enforcement being present, whether or not someone in the audience or 
classroom is armed, guns have always been the problem. We need to 
accept that so that we can get to work on it and move on it.
  I continue to pray for the health and recovery of those who were 
injured in Trenton, as well in other places, just as I will continue to 
work on this issue.

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