[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 2 (Friday, January 4, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H225]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE TO GUN VIOLENCE

  (Mr. DEUTCH asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, the new Democratic majority in this House 
will not limit its response to mass shootings to just thoughts and 
prayers. We will listen to gun violence survivors, not gun company 
lobbyists. We finally will respond to the demands of more than 90 
percent of Americans who want stronger background checks.
  In the 9 years since the Supreme Court's disastrous decision in 
Citizens United, gun companies and other wealthy special interests have 
been able to dump unlimited money into our elections. In 2016, the NRA 
spent more than ever before and watched candidates they help elect 
ignore the gun violence crisis: nearly 40,000 Americans killed in 2017 
and horrific mass shootings in Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Thousand Oaks, 
and Parkland.
  To release the grip of wealthy special interests on Congress, 
Democrats have introduced historic reforms as our top priority in H.R. 
1, to make it easier to vote, to get money out of politics, to end 
corruption, and to call for a constitutional amendment to overturn 
Citizens United.
  Mr. Speaker, no matter what the issue--climate change, healthcare, 
the economy, or gun violence--it is time for Congress to start working 
for the people. This week, that work has begun.

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