[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 9, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H299-H300]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RISING IN SUPPORT OF BACKGROUND CHECKS

  (Ms. PINGREE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PINGREE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 8, the 
Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, a commonsense bill to mandate 
background checks before the sale of a firearm.
  During my first term in Congress, I served with my friend and former 
Congresswoman Gabby Giffords on the Armed Services Committee. Mr. 
Speaker, 8 years ago this week, during a public meeting with her 
constituents, a gunman shot her and 18 others, tragically killing 6.
  Since that dark day in 2011, mass shootings have become commonplace, 
occurring in our schools, houses of worship, movie theaters, 
nightclubs, grocery stores, a newsroom, a concert, nearly every place 
imaginable that should be safe.
  Although 97 percent of Americans support background checks, many 
Members of Congress simply pass along thoughts and prayers in the face 
of these tragedies instead of taking action.
  Enough. The Nation's gun violence epidemic must be addressed by the 
116th Congress.
  I am in awe of Gabby's resilience and advocacy for overdue gun safety 
reforms like H.R. 8, which will ensure

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that firearms do not end up in the hands of those who cannot pass a 
simple background check.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill.

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