[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 118 (Friday, June 26, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H2544-H2548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL PULSE MEMORIAL
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3094) to designate the National Pulse Memorial located at
1912 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, Florida, 32806, and for other
purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3094
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF NATIONAL PULSE MEMORIAL.
(a) In General.--The Pulse Memorial located at 1912 South
Orange Avenue, Orlando, Florida, 32806, is designated as the
``National Pulse Memorial''.
(b) Effect of Designation.--The national memorial
designated by this section is not a unit of the National Park
System and the designation of the National Pulse Memorial
shall not require or permit Federal funds to be expended for
any purpose related to that national memorial.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Soto) and the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
General Leave
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, on June 12, 2016, a gunman shot and killed 49 people
and injured 53 others in the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando,
Florida. It was the single deadliest known violent attack on the LGBTQ
community, the deadliest violent attack in America at that time, and an
attack on our Latino community, our African-American communities, and
so many others.
After this tragedy, our city came together. Doctors, first
responders, and friends rushed to save the wounded; others donated
funds, supplies, even their blood. Countless works of art, gifts, and
letters were left at impromptu memorial sites paying tribute to the
victims and survivors.
We came together in candlelight vigils across the globe to grieve and
remember. We became truly Orlando Strong in the face of adversity for
the whole world to see.
As we continue to honor 49 angels, we remind the world that love will
always conquer hate in the end. The designation of the Pulse nightclub
as a national memorial honors the lives taken, as well as the
survivors, first responders, and an entire central Florida community.
Together, we will open minds and hearts and make the Pulse Memorial a
national symbol of hope, love, and change.
I thank my Orlando area colleagues, Congresswoman Val Demings and
Congresswoman Stephanie Murphy, for joining me in leading this
important bipartisan legislation.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3094, offered by our
colleague from Florida (Mr. Soto).
A little over 4 years ago, on June 12, 2016, the Pulse nightclub in
Orlando, Florida, became the scene of the worst terrorist attack on
American soil since September 11, 2001.
Forty-nine Americans died and 53 were injured that terrible night at
the hands of an ISIS-inspired coward who turned on the very country
where his parents had sought refuge from the violence in Afghanistan.
Instead of gratitude, he unleashed hatred and violence upon this
country that had sheltered his family and made it possible for him to
be born into a land of freedom and opportunity.
The poisonous political ideology that infected and animated him in
his attack--and to which he pledged allegiance just before the attack--
is a familiar nemesis to the founding principles of our country.
[[Page H2545]]
This craven and wanton attack reminds us of the threats of Islamic
extremism both at home and abroad: that they are real, that they are
malignant, and that they are deadly.
In the aftermath of this terrible attack on the patrons of the Pulse
nightclub, its owner established a nonprofit called the onePULSE
Foundation to memorialize those who died in this mass murder, known
simply as ``the 49.'' The foundation worked quickly to establish a
memorial in Orlando, but recently began working with Orlando's mayor to
launch a design competition for a permanent memorial and museum slated
to open in 2022.
This bill would redesignate the Pulse Memorial in Orlando as the
National Pulse Memorial. The bill makes clear that this memorial will
not be a unit of the national park system, and a designation as a
national memorial does not require any Federal funds to be expended.
The House's action on this bill today complements the United States
Senate's resolution passed on June 11 of this year honoring the victims
of this outrage, as well as the State of Florida's designation of June
12 as Pulse Remembrance Day.
I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California and
our friends across the aisle for their support.
Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida
(Mrs. Demings).
Mrs. DEMINGS. Madam Speaker, it is time to make the Pulse nightclub a
national memorial, and the reason is that what Pulse symbolizes is
relevant to all Americans.
Let me say this: Orlando does not need Congress in order to honor the
49 victims, nor the 53 who were wounded that night. We have honored
them and will continue to do so for as long as their memories live on.
But it is still the right thing to do, that Congress take this action
today, because, by making Pulse a national memorial, we honor not only
the victims, but what they stood for, what they represent, and what our
country could be and should be.
Pulse is in my district. It was a sanctuary. It was a place where
Orlando's LGBTQ residents could find safety and friendship. The people
there that night were not in the wrong place at the wrong time. They
were exactly where they were supposed to be, among friends and loved
ones, taking joy together in what my bishop referred to as a late night
fellowship.
Isn't that worth celebrating? Isn't that worth protecting for every
American? Could there be any right more basic?
And that is why we are here: to honor and remember them.
We will continue to grieve for those we lost and to help those who
survived. We will continue together and remember.
We will continue to act on gun violence and civil rights, for the
survivors of Pulse have called upon us to honor those we lost with
action, not just words.
Today, with this vote, we state that Pulse was a national tragedy not
only for what it was, but for what it meant; and it will be a national
memorial not just to commemorate our past, but to guide our future.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers on our
side, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Rhode Island (Mr. Cicilline).
Mr. CICILLINE. Madam Speaker, I thank you, who brought me to the site
of this horrible tragedy and allowed me to see the warmth and beauty of
your community in response to it.
Four years ago, 49 people were murdered in a violent, hate-filled
mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando. In the days that followed,
we saw and heard stories of courage, bravery, and resolve. But mostly,
there was unspeakable pain for those who lost someone in this attack.
And although I pray that the passage of 4 years has brought some
measure of relief, the truth is that their pain will never fully go
away.
It is critical that we designate this memorial today so that our
country never forgets those who are lost, but it is also important to
take action so this never happens again.
Individuals convicted of hate crimes should never own a gun, and that
is why I introduced the Disarm Hate Act--to do just that. If you commit
a hate crime, you shouldn't be allowed to own a gun, period. We know
that those who commit hate crimes become increasingly violent as time
goes on.
{time} 1115
No American family should have to suffer because of this loophole.
Let's disarm hate once and for all.
We will never forget the 49 young people who lost their lives at the
Pulse club in Orlando, the extraordinary response of the first
responders, and the hospital facilities that provided miraculous care
that prevented so many other lives from being lost.
Let's do all that we can to prevent the next hate-filled tragedy.
Again, I salute Orlando Strong for the magnificent and nurturing
response of the entire community to this devastating attack on all of
us.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, I take this opportunity to
commend Congressman Soto, Congresswoman Demings, and the gentlewoman
from Florida (Congresswoman Murphy), who is in the Chair, on this
incredibly important legislation.
I traveled to attend a memorial service in the aftermath of the
tragedy at Orlando's Pulse gay nightclub to mourn with the stunned
community how the confluence of bigotry and weapons of war conspired to
steal 49 innocent lives.
I remember the feeling of numbness and agony. It was so hard to grasp
that in 2016, visitors to Pulse that night suffered a violence that far
too often plagues LGBTQ-plus communities and communities of color, but
this time on a mass scale. They were targeted for who they were.
Out for the evening, they assumed it was safe to be themselves, to
live their truths, and yet their precious lives were snuffed out.
But in this darkest of moments, Floridians opened their arms to
embrace and heal one another. They vocally denounced bigotry, whether
it was aimed at our LGBTQ-plus or Hispanic communities, or too often
both. They would not stay silent.
Even public figures who were not always clear LGBTQ-plus allies stood
up and made a commitment to equality.
It was an encouraging moment of solidarity amidst such tragedy. Most
Floridians responded by drawing closer than ever before.
Two years later, my community endured similar heartache and anger
when 17 students and educators were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School. Days after that horrific school shooting, I was in Orlando
and visited Pulse, where spontaneous messages of love and sadness were
left behind.
As I added my message to the thousands hanging on banners there, I
saw Pulse was not simply a site of tragedy and pain. It was a hallowed
place to remember and honor all the individuals who were lost. But it
was also now a public space affirming that equality, justice, and love
are worth rallying to and fighting for.
Making Pulse a national memorial would, most importantly, properly
honor those we lost way too soon.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Madam Speaker, but it would also elevate that
site so that millions of Americans might turn our collective pain into
collective action.
In passing this bill, I hope visitors the world over will be inspired
by a community that emphatically declared that love and hope will
always triumph over prejudice and violence.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Mucarsel-Powell).
Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL. Madam Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of
H.R. 3094, a bill to designate the National Pulse Memorial.
[[Page H2546]]
On June 12, 2016, a shooter hatefully took the lives of 49 people at
the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Those who died were sons and
daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers, fathers, and loving members
of Florida's communities.
This tragedy brought grief and pain to all parts of the Nation, to
Florida, including my very own district, and to the LGBT community.
That evening at the nightclub was Jerry Wright. His parents, MJ and
Fred, are part of our community in south Florida. They described Jerry
as a wonderful, loving, and caring son. He was there that evening, like
any other evening, enjoying Latin music with friends, and from 1 minute
to the next, his life was cruelly taken from him. He was only 31 years
old.
We all know that Jerry did not deserve this. His parents and family
did not deserve this.
I am very close friends now with the Wright family, and I know
firsthand the anguish and the pain that they go through every single
day, Mother's Day, Father's Day. That pain never goes away.
I know that personally, Madam Speaker, because I have also lost a
loved one tragically to gun violence. So the pain that the families and
the friends of 48 other people who lost their lives the same way is
still present today.
Just over 4 years later, now it is time that we designate the Pulse
nightclub as a national memorial.
This memorial will honor the memory of those who died that evening.
It will ensure that loved family members like Jerry Wright are never
forgotten. It will reflect on the pain that their families are still
suffering. But most importantly, it will serve as a reminder that we as
a country have to stop this violence and disarm hate.
This memorial is a testament to those who died, and it is a mandate
that we do more to stop it from happening again.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Mrs. Murphy), my neighbor in central Florida.
Mrs. MURPHY of Florida. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for
yielding to me.
Four long years have passed since a gunman walked into my community
and took the lives of 49 innocent people at the Pulse nightclub.
At that time, the events marked the largest mass shooting in this
country, and to this day, it remains one of the largest incidents of a
hate crime in our history.
Most of the victims were members of our LGBTQ community in Orlando, a
community that created Pulse to be a safe place to be themselves, a
place where hate and violence could not reach them.
It took one lone gunman to shatter that reality. But it is up to us
on this day, 4 years later, to take it back.
We owe it to those we lost to honor their memories by dedicating a
national memorial at Pulse, a memorial that reflects the same love,
acceptance, and spirit of community that embodied the victims and that
embodies the LGBTQ community at large, a place of healing for the
survivors and all those affected, a welcoming place for all those
seeking inspiration to act, to create a better, safer, and more
inclusive Nation.
By taking this important step, America is telling the world that we
will never let hate win, that we won't forget the victims, and that we
will fight to ensure no community will ever go through something like
this again.
God bless the Pulse victims and their families.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I would inquire if the gentleman is
ready to close.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I have three more speakers.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Takano).
Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Four years ago, during Pride Month, our country awoke to the
devastating news about a shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
The Pulse nightclub, a safe haven for the LGBTQ-plus community in
Orlando was the target of an act of hate.
Forty-nine lives were taken and 53 were wounded after a gunman opened
fire. The victims and survivors were LGBTQ-plus and members of the
Latinx community.
This shooting was one of the deadliest attacks on LGBTQ-plus
Americans in our history, and it left our community hurting, fearful,
and skeptical about the progress our Nation had made towards
acceptance, understanding, and belonging for LGBTQ-plus people.
Four years later, we are still grieving, we are still healing, and we
are still demanding action to make equality the law of the land and to
end gun violence in America.
When I visited Orlando to pay my respects to the victims and to honor
their memories, what I saw at Pulse during such a painful time gave me
hope. I saw a community that had come together to condemn hate, to
reject intolerance, and to celebrate the lives of every single soul
that was lost that night.
Our community's pride and the bravery we exhibit when we choose to
embrace our identity, even in the face of hate and homophobia, is proof
of how resilient we are.
Designating Pulse as a national memorial would honor the lives of
those lost and it would forever stand as a symbol of pride, hope, and
courage, which will always triumph over hate.
Madam Speaker, as the co-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, I thank
Representative Soto for his leadership, also Representative Murphy and
Representative Demings.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 3094.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Massachusetts (Ms. Clark), the vice chair of our caucus.
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, almost 4 years ago today,
I joined with my colleagues and my friend, Congressman John Lewis, in
leading a sit-in on this very floor after the Pulse nightclub shooting
in Orlando, Florida.
We could not stand for another moment of silence. We could not stand
for another day of inaction. We could not stand for another mass
shooting in America.
We sat in protest. The House Democrats stopped the work of Congress
because Congress had stopped working for the American people.
Now, 4 years later, our commitment to ending gun violence and hate
remains absolute.
Making the Pulse nightclub a national memorial will honor the 49
lives lost in Orlando and will declare that love is love.
Today, during Pride Month, we celebrate these lives and we honor
them, but we can't stop there. We need commonsense gun violence
prevention measures now.
Within weeks of taking the majority, House Democrats passed two
bipartisan gun safety bills. To this day, they remain stalled in the
Senate.
COVID-19 is not the only public health crisis in this country. We
lose 40,000 Americans a year to gun violence.
We cannot waste another day. We ask the Republicans in the Senate to
pass our legislation, end this sickening cycle of gun violence in our
country.
Choose love, choose peace, recognize that gun violence is often the
lethal partner of racism and bigotry.
With this national memorial, we will have a physical manifestation of
our commitment to end gun violence and to have equality for all.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I would inquire how much time we have
remaining.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Murphy of Florida). The gentleman from
Florida has 4\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
{time} 1130
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, this is a somber moment, and I thank
the gentleman from Florida for not only his passion but his recognition
that America should never forget.
I thank the Speaker pro tempore for letting us remember all the faces
and
[[Page H2547]]
families and loved ones that were impacted. Forty-nine lives, I
believe, were taken in one moment, with an act of violence by a crazed
gunman, with a gun.
We have been trying to stand in the gap, with background checks
passed the very first moment under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi,
gun violence legislation that has no impact on the Second Amendment but
seeks to derail the kind of crazed gunman that was able to take these
lives before first responders could come.
I remember hearing the stories of families waiting outside of the
Pulse nightclub, saying they heard from their loved one but had not
seen them because they were making their last-minute cries for help.
This memorial would say to America that we are not a nation of
bigots, of xenophobia, racism, hatred. We are a nation of respect and
dignity.
I know the families of those who died at the Pulse nightclub are
still in pain and will never forget.
But it is the duty of the United States Congress, with our voices
raised, to say that the book that I have been holding on to over the
last 2 days, to fight for justice in policing, to talk about D.C.
statehood, this book, this Constitution, which George Washington said
he would use as a guide, that he would never abandon, everyone has the
right to decency and life and due process.
I enthusiastically support this legislation to give dignity to the
lives, and for America never to forget those lives, at the Pulse
nightclub.
Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the House of Representatives, I
rise in strong support of H.R. 3094, ``To designate the National Pulse
Memorial located at 1912 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, Florida, 32806,
and for other purposes.''
I am voting for H.R. 3094 because it not only memorializes and honors
the 49 people who tragically lost their lives from this horrific act of
violence, but it also stands as a symbol to the LGBTQ+ community, to
our Latino community, to our nation, and to the world, that we will not
stand for or tolerate acts of hatred against marginalized persons.
Madam Speaker, you will remember that the Pulse nightclub shooting
took place on June 12th, 2016 in Orlando, Florida when a gunman shot
and killed 49 people and injured 53 others.
It was the single deadliest known violent attack on both the LGBTQ+
community and our Latino community.
The Pulse nightclub was a haven for the LGBTQ community to live,
love, and dance.
They came for music, celebration and fellowship.
Over four dozen would leave the Pulse Nightclub with their names
added to a list of fatal victims of gun violence .
In the aftermath, we saw communities come together and support one
another.
We saw doctors, first responders, and friends rush to save the
wounded.
Others donated funds, supplies, and even their blood.
There were countless murals and other artworks, gifts, and letters
left at impromptu memorial sites, paying tribute to the victims and
survivors.
Our nation refused to let hate win.
We came together in the form of thousands of candlelight vigils to
grieve, remember, and heal.
By passing H.R. 3094 today, we seek to create a permanent reminder
that this act of violence and other heinous instances of bigotry are
not emblematic of America or its true values.
It will also remind us that it is our duty as a society to be better
and do better in terms of standing up against hate in all its forms.
I ask all members to join me in voting for H.R. 3094, ``To designate
the National Pulse Memorial located at 1912 South Orange Avenue,
Orlando, Florida, 32806, and for other purposes.''
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a list of the names
of the 49 victims we lost in the Pulse nightclub shooting.
Stanley Almodovar III, 23 years old; Amanda L. Alvear, 25
years old; Oscar A. Aracena Montero, 26 years old; Rodolfo
Ayala Ayala, 33 years old; Antonio Davon Brown, 29 years old;
Darryl Roman Burt II, 29 years old; Angel Candelario-Padro,
28 years old; Juan Chavez Martinez, 25 years old; Luis Daniel
Conde, 39 years old; Cory James Connell, 21 years old; Tevin
Eugene Crosby, 25 years old; Deonka Deidra Drayton, 32 years
old; Simon Adrian Carrillo Fernandez, 31 years old; Leroy
Valentin Fernandez, 25 years old; Mercedez Marisol Flores, 26
years old; Peter Ommy Gonzalez Cruz, 22 years old; Juan Ramon
Guerrero, 22 years old; Paul Terrell Henry, 41 years old;
Frank Hernandez, 27 years old; Miguel Angel Honorato, 30
years old.
Javier Jorge Reyes, 40 years old; Jason Benjamin Josaphat,
19 years old; Eddie Jamoldroy Justice, 30 years old; Anthony
Luis Laureano Disla, 25 years old; Christopher Andrew
Leinonen, 32 years old; Alejandro Barrios Martinez, 21 years
old; Brenda Marquez McCool, 49 years old; Gilberto R. Silva
Menendez, 25 years old; Kimberly Jean Morris, 37 years old;
Akyra Monet Murray, 18 years old; Luis Omar Ocasio Capo, 20
years old; Geraldo A. Ortiz Jimenez, 25 years old; Eric Ivan
Ortiz-Rivera, 36 years old; Joel Rayon Paniagua, 32 years
old; Jean Carlos Mendez Perez, 35 years old; Enrique L. Rios,
Jr., 25 years old; Jean Carlos Nieves Rodriguez, 27 years
old; Xavier Emmanuel Serrano-Rosado, 35 years old;
Christopher Joseph Sanfeliz, 24 years old; Yilmary Rodriguez
Solivan, 24 years old; Edward Sotomayor Jr., 34 years old;
Shane Evan Tomlinson, 33 years old; Martin Benitez Torres, 33
years old; Jonathan A. Camuy Vega, 24 years old; Juan Pablo
Rivera Velazquez, 37 years old; Luis Sergio Vielma, 22 years
old; Franky Jimmy DeJesus Velazquez, 50 years old; Luis
Daniel Wilson-Leon, 37 years old; Jerald Arthur Wright, 31
years old.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I
thank you and him for making this important memorial possible for us
today.
I rise to solemnly join my colleagues to honor the 49 beautiful souls
murdered 4 years ago in an unfathomable act of hatred and bloodshed at
the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
I thank Congressman Darren Soto for giving us this opportunity of
observing and for being a voice for peace and healing for all of those
affected.
Pulse was a peaceful haven where young LGBTQ Americans could enjoy
music, dancing, and celebration, knowing they were in a sanctuary of
safety and solidarity.
Pulse was a monument to joy, a tribute to resilience and pride born
out of the grief that Barbara Poma experienced after losing her
brother, John, to AIDS. That was her motivation for starting that.
May the grief that we experience now at the loss of 49 who were
murdered move us to turn our pain into purpose. This poster is all of
them.
But some time after the terrible tragedy, we stood on the steps of
the Capitol, holding their individual pictures. At that time, we said:
We will never forget.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to keep that promise to turn
pain into purpose.
Shortly after the horrific act of hatred at Pulse, I had the solemn
privilege of traveling to Orlando and meeting with survivors and
families who had lost loved ones. Their message to the Congress, to a
person that I met with there, was: Please, do something to stop gun
violence.
Yet, painfully, since that tragic night, the horror that we saw in
Orlando has been replicated in countless other communities across the
country. In too many places, the epidemic of gun violence has killed
too many innocent people and left too many families suffering
unimaginable pain and loss.
As one of the first actions of our majority last year, the House took
action to end the bloodshed by passing H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112, H.R. 8 so
designated because it had been 8 years since the assault on the life of
our colleague Gabby Giffords.
She survived. She is doing remarkable things, in terms of trying to
end gun violence. But other people died. Hence, H.R. 8, as it was 8
years since. Then, H.R. 1112 was Mr. Clyburn's legislation to address
what happened in South Carolina.
485 days, nearly 500 days, later, we continue to urge the Senate to
take up this legislation, supported broadly, Democrats, independents,
Republicans, gun owners, hunters, many of whom have had to pass
background checks in order to have their guns and to enjoy their sport
and protect themselves. They are not against background checks. Across
the country, this has broad support, nonpartisan support.
Yet, in the Congress of the United States, there is resistance to
that safety of simply commonsense background checks. It isn't as if we
were starting something new. This is just an expansion of the
background checks that already exist to include gun shows and online
sales, et cetera, just an expansion.
[[Page H2548]]
I remind my colleagues that an average of 100 people die every day
from gun violence. Let me restate, it has been almost 500 days since
the House passed those bills and the Senate has failed to take it up--
almost 500 times 100 a day.
We see the consequences. Not that all of them would have been saved,
but some, many, would have. Many have been saved since the original
background check legislation passed.
Four years later, 4 years after Pulse, our grief remains raw. But our
resolve to end the deadly scourge of gun violence and hatred--
discrimination, that it was about, too--remains unwavering.
Strengthened by the memories of those who were lost to gun violence--
49 souls here, and so many others--inspired by the spirit of hope that
we celebrate during Pride Month, especially this weekend, let us never
relent in our mission to end the horror of gun violence once and for
all and end discrimination against anyone in our community.
Madam Speaker, I thank and commend Mr. Soto, and I urge a ``yes''
vote.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I again want to commend Mr. Soto on this bill.
In closing, it is important to note that the attack that we remember
with this legislation was directed against all Americans, not just the
patrons of the nightclub that night. The killer made this abundantly
and chillingly clear. He declared himself an ``Islamic soldier'' and
declared his allegiance and obedience to the terrorist leader, Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi. This was an attack motivated by hate, hatred against our
country, hatred against all that our country stands for.
I think we can take some solace in knowing that Americans today
retain their right to defend themselves against such attacks, that such
terrorist attacks like this should remind us how important our Second
Amendment rights remain today.
We can also take solace from the fact that al-Baghdadi, the
inspiration for this terrorist attack, was hunted down and brought to
justice in October last year by American Delta Force commandos, as he
shielded himself with children, who he killed when he detonated a
suicide vest rather than to be taken prisoner.
Madam Speaker, in memory of the 49 Americans killed by this terrorist
attack, I ask for an ``aye'' vote in this House today.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
We all agree this was an attack motivated by hate, and today, we
recognize the 49 angels we lost and the 53 who were injured during the
Pulse nightclub shooting.
Vigils occurred across this Nation, across the political spectrum,
after this deadly shooting. I can tell you, on behalf of Congresswoman
Demings, Congresswoman Murphy, myself, and our region, we want to thank
everyone for doing that.
We want to thank our colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, for
coming together: Chair Grijalva, Ranking Member Bishop, Mr. McClintock,
Miss Gonzalez-Colon, Mr. Fitzpatrick. We appreciate all the work being
done in the Senate.
Today, we recognize the memory of these 49 angels across our Nation
by making this the Pulse National Memorial.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 3094, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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