[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 12, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H4436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE PULSE NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Mrs. Demings) for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. DEMINGS. Mr. Speaker, today my community gathers in Orlando to 
remember 49 victims of gun violence. The Pulse shooting, 3 years ago 
today, was the worst terrorist attack in our Nation since 9/11.
  Recall for a moment that, even now, there is no Federal law to ban 
LGBTQ discrimination. The House passed the Equality Act, but the Senate 
has refused to bring the legislation to the floor for a vote.
  Yet in spite of these challenges, there are still places in America 
that are meant to be safe havens. The Pulse nightclub was such a place, 
a place where patrons could, as my bishop put it, enjoy a late night 
fellowship.
  The victims of Pulse were not in the wrong place at the wrong time. 
They had every right to be there. And while Congress continues to offer 
thoughts and prayers, the victims were gunned down while they 
celebrated birthdays and family and friendships.
  Let me remind my colleagues on the other side of the aisle what the 
Bible says. It says that ``faith without works is dead.''
  Today we remember the victims, but their stories did not end in the 
early morning hours 3 years ago. The memories of those who died live on 
in our hearts, and the struggles and triumphs of the survivors are ever 
before us.
  Some survivors suffered severe injuries. Others were not physically 
injured but still carry the invisible wounds of that tragic moment.
  One survivor, Orlando Torres, said that the mental scars are never 
forgotten. Orlando spent hours trapped in the bathroom at Pulse, his 
clothes soaked in the blood of the people who had been shot. He says: 
``I still worry about it happening again. No matter where I am, I 
always look for the exit. You don't want to get cornered.''
  Orlando spoke about the networks of survivors who, in America, help 
each other after each mass shooting. He pointed out what we all now 
know, that after New Zealand's shooting, New Zealand took immediate 
action.
  How many more innocent Americans need to die before we take action 
here?
  But still, after all that Orlando has gone through, he remains 
positive--simply amazing. The attacks, he says, allowed the survivors 
to share with the world the humanity of the LGBTQ community and show 
that we are all God's children. He also said: ``I still go out. If we 
stop dancing and loving each other, they win.''

  Sadly, mass shootings are the product of our failure to pass 
legislation designed to keep guns out of the wrong hands. Many victims 
in the Pulse nightclub shooting and shootings across our Nation did not 
stand a chance of survival because they were shot with weapons designed 
for war. This is not the America that we were created to be.
  In the days and weeks following the Pulse nightclub massacre, many of 
us spoke about how central Florida came together, on one accord, to 
help our community. I could not be prouder of the people in my hometown 
who came together to stand up for and stand with brokenhearted families 
and friends and to protect our community.
  The victims of Pulse nightclub belong to us, and we will never forget 
the lives they lived or their tremendous potential that will never be 
realized. Today we remember and, through that remembrance, we transform 
hate into love and loss into strength.

                          ____________________