[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 16, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H2827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   ACT ON UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECKS

  (Ms. DEAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DEAN. Madam Speaker, last Saturday, we remembered the murder of 
49 people at the Pulse massacre 5 years ago. Tomorrow, we will mourn 6 
years since nine people were killed in their place of worship at Mother 
Emanuel AME Church.
  It sits with me every single day that in this country we lose friends 
and family to the tragic and avoidable scourge of gun violence.
  As of this weekend, we have reached 272 mass shootings in this 
country. It is madness. These acts of violence, sometimes motivated by 
hate, continue.
  Yet, we--and the Senate in particular--have failed to enact 
commonsense gun violence prevention legislation that would stem 
bloodshed and end this loss. I implore the Senate to hear the cries of 
those in their communities, our constituents, and pass the two 
universal background check bills that the House sent over to the Senate 
in March.
  Families should no longer have to bury their loved ones when we have 
the ability and the responsibility to close deadly loopholes in our 
system.
  Gun ownership is an important part of our American culture and our 
Constitution, and now is our chance to come together in a way that 
preserves this part of our heritage while protecting our constituents 
and saving lives.

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