[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 27, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2265-H2266]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TOLL OF GUN VIOLENCE

  (Mr. GARCIA of Illinois asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. GARCIA of Illinois. Madam Speaker, as a Member of the House 
representing a district disproportionately affected by gun violence, I 
know firsthand the toll that it takes on our community. That is why, 
earlier today, I voted on H.R. 8.
  Just a year ago last October, a 27-year-old man was killed in a 
senseless

[[Page H2266]]

act right in front of my house in Little Village in Chicago. As of 
Sunday, our city had witnessed 241 shootings in 2019 so far, including 
two in my neighborhood in the last week.
  In fact, in Chicago, five of six homicides remain unsolved, but 
Chicago has some of the most stringent gun laws in the U.S. What we 
need is Federal legislation that makes it harder to access guns.
  It is our responsibility to stand up for the safety of our 
communities we serve. I am proud to have voted for the passage of the 
Bipartisan Background Checks Act moments ago. Tomorrow, we will vote to 
close the Charleston loophole, and I urge my Senate colleagues to 
advance these efforts immediately.

                          ____________________