[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 185 (Tuesday, November 19, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6664-S6665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           BACKGROUND CHECKS

  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I implore the Senate to take up 
legislation addressing America's gun violence epidemic. We must pass 
legislation requiring universal and completed background checks for 
individuals seeking to purchase a gun, to help insure that guns do not 
fall into the wrong hands, with deadly results.
  Last week, on the morning of November 14, it was a normal Thursday at 
Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, CA. Just before second period, a 
16-year-old boy pulled a semiautomatic pistol out of his backpack. In 
just 16 seconds, he shot five of his classmates, killing two. A short 
time later, he turned the gun on himself.
  After hearing the gunshots, Katie Holt, a teacher at Saugus High 
School, rushed students into her classroom and barricaded the door. One 
of the injured girls made it into Holt's classroom. Thankfully and 
incredibly, Holt had a gunshot wound kit in case of a school shooting. 
The girl had been shot twice, and Holt only had one kit. Holt dressed 
the two wounds as best she could with one kit, while a freshman student 
applied pressure. The injured girl survived.
  Katie Holt's preparedness and quick action likely saved that young 
girl's life. As we commend her heroic actions, we have to ask 
ourselves: How did we get to this point? How did we get a place where 
American teachers feel obligated to keep gunshot wound kits in their 
classrooms?
  We also mourn the tragic loss of life in several other recent mass 
shootings. On November 18, three people were killed outside a Walmart 
in Duncan, OK. Just this past weekend, on November 17 in Fresno, CA, 10 
individuals were shot and 4 were killed at a football watch party. On 
October 31 in Orina, CA, five individuals were killed and four wounded 
at a Halloween block party. And we all remember the horrific spate of 
mass shootings this summer, including those in Texas, Ohio, California, 
and Virginia, leading to dozens killed.
  In February 2019, the House passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background 
Checks Act, by a bipartisan vote of 240-190. That month, the House also 
passed H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act. Since that time, 
these bills have languished in the Senate where the Republican leader 
refuses to allow Senate consideration.
  By refusing to take up legislation to require universal and completed 
background checks, the Senate is failing the American people. We have a 
responsibility to pass commonsense gun reform to end the senseless 
bloodshed. We need gun reform now, not only to address our country's 
seemingly endless cycle of mass shootings, but we need gun safety 
legislation now because our communities are ravaged by daily gun 
violence that does not make news headlines.
  On average, about every 13 hours, someone is killed with a gun in 
Maryland. On average, 656 Marylanders die from fatal gunshot wounds 
every year. Firearms are the first leading cause of

[[Page S6665]]

death among children and teens in Maryland. African-American children 
and teens in Maryland are five times as likely as their White peers to 
die by guns. In Maryland, African-Americans are 16 times as likely to 
die by gun homicide as White people.
  In 2017, 53 percent of the guns recovered from Maryland crime scenes 
came from another State. Often, these guns used in crimes in Maryland 
are from States with more lenient gun control laws.
  American women are 21 times more likely to be killed with a gun than 
women in other high-income countries; 4.5 million women in the United 
States have been threatened with a gun by their current or previous 
intimate partner. It has estimated that 900,000 American women have 
been shot or shot at by their current or previous intimate partner. 
When there is a gun present during a domestic violence situation, a 
woman's risk of being killed goes up 500 percent.
  In Maryland, from 2013 to 2017, 48 women were fatally shot by an 
intimate partner. African-American women are 1.7 times more likely as 
White women to be fatally shot by a partner. These are women like 
Maryland resident, Timira Hopkins. Hopkins' relationship with her 
boyfriend was abusive, and he had made threats before. One night in 
2014, Hopkins' boyfriend delivered on his threats, shooting Hopkins 
five times before killing himself. Incredibly, Hopkins survived, but 
the right side of her face is paralyzed, and she is deaf in one ear. In 
September of this year, Hopkins shared her story on NPR in the hopes 
she can help other survivors.
  We need to do more for brave women like Timira Hopkins. We need to 
join her in the fight to protect people suffering domestic violence. 
This body understands the dangerous potential consequences of domestic 
violence perpetrators owning guns. That is why, in 1996, we passed the 
Lautenberg amendment, banning gun ownership for individuals convicted 
of misdemeanor domestic violence. However, without universal background 
checks, we can't effectively enforce this prohibition and keep guns out 
of the hands of violent abusers.
  An estimated 22 percent of U.S. gun owners purchased their most 
recent firearm without a background check. When background checks are 
not required, domestic abusers get ahold of guns. In 2018, Sara Schmidt 
was murdered by her husband, who should have be prohibited from 
purchasing a firearm because of a domestic violence felony. Schmidt's 
husband purchased the gun he used to murder Sara from an online private 
seller, bypassing background check requirements.
  Passing legislation to expand background checks to every gun sale, 
including those conducted online, at gun shows, and through private 
transfers, should be the top priority in Congress. Congress should also 
make sure that background checks are fully completed before a gun sale 
is finally approved. There is no one answer which will fix America's 
gun violence epidemic. But we can't let the complexity of the problem 
paralyze us. We need to take steps forward.
  The American people deserve action. They are demanding action. An 
overwhelming majority of Americans--97 percent--support expanding 
background checks. Congress must listen to the 97 percent of Americans 
and take action. We cannot wait any longer. While we wait, Americans 
are dying, and communities are traumatized by violence. We must do the 
right thing and take up the House legislation requiring universal and 
completed background checks for individuals seeking to purchase a gun. 
The time for action is now.

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