[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 130 (Monday, July 26, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5061-S5062]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                              Gun Violenc

  Madam President, we begin this week with yet another devastating toll 
of weekend gun violence across America, including the city of Chicago. 
More than 70 people were shot this past weekend in Chicago. Ten died. 
If you remember 2 weeks ago, Fourth of July weekend, over 100 people 
were victims of gunshots in Chicago. In that case, 19 of them died.
  It is a mass killing on a regular basis in that great city. Much of 
it is concentrated in sections of the city, but it is starting to 
spread because it is so darned easy for a person to get their hands on 
a gun in that city.
  Shootings in Chicago have surged during the COVID pandemic. We see it 
happening across America. The Biden administration is taking steps in 
the right direction to stop this gun violence: Cracking down on 
untraceable ghost guns, rogue gun dealers, and these braces, this 
equipment that can effectively turn pistols into short-barreled rifles.
  Crucially, the Department of Justice announced the launch of five 
firearm trafficking strike forces. Chicago is one of the cities. New 
York; San Francisco; Washington, DC; and Los Angeles, are the others.
  These strike forces will confront what I believe to be one of the 
most important causes of this gun violence: the illicit trafficking of 
guns. These strike forces will also provide support for law enforcement 
who are on the frontlines of fighting gun violence.
  As a testament to that fact, last week, Attorney General Garland 
joined me in Chicago to highlight how the Justice Department is 
standing with our police officers and first responders. I am grateful 
that Attorney General Garland returned to his hometown of Chicago for 
this purpose. But sadly, it was a somber homecoming.
  We first met with police officers and the mayor of Chicago, Lori 
Lightfoot,

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at the Harrison District police station. It is basically ground zero 
for gun violence in the city of Chicago. They demonstrated to us the 
brandnew technology, the amazing technology, the video cameras, the 
shotspotters, new technology which they are using every single day to 
thwart the criminals and to prove their cases when necessary. These 
communities and these officers are keeping us as safe as they can, but 
they are up against an avalanche of guns.
  The grim toll of gun violence in Chicago continues to climb upward. 
The officers agreed with Attorney General Garland and myself, a major 
problem is that we have guns being illegally sold to people who never 
should have had them, who never would have passed a background check, 
convicted felons or those who are mentally unstable. This issue is more 
important and more significant than any single jurisdiction. It is 
nationwide.
  Roughly, 60 percent of the guns recovered at crime scenes in Chicago 
originate from out of State, primarily from Indiana, but also from 
other States. A person can easily buy a gun from an unlicensed seller 
in Indiana and drive it to Chicago in a matter of minutes that very 
same day to resell that gun on the streets.
  Why don't we do something about this? If those who own guns agree 
with everyone else that we ought to keep guns out of the hands of the 
wrong people, why can't this Congress do that simple thing to try to 
slow down this gun violence?
  There is one more truth we must acknowledge: Gun violence isn't just 
about access to weapons. Too many kids in cities like Chicago face 
daily trauma that is making them more likely to fall into the cycle of 
violence.
  During the Attorney General's visit to Chicago, we joined community 
leaders at St. Agatha Catholic Church in the Lawndale section of the 
city. They have developed a successful violence intervention program 
called READI Chicago. It is one of the many community violence 
intervention programs that has received financial support from this 
President.
  While meeting with the leaders of READI Chicago, I spoke with a young 
man whom I will call John. He is remarkably brave. After learning his 
story, one cannot ignore the similarities he shares with so many other 
young people in the city.
  He grew up in a struggling family. He sold drugs to earn money. Like 
many of his peers, he ended up carrying a gun and got involved with 
gang violence. He was arrested, convicted, and served time in prison. 
Then he came back to the community and wanted to start a different 
life. That is how he got involved with READI Chicago, where he is now a 
positive force for change in his home city.
  It is an inspiring story, but that young man John, in his early 
twenties, still remains at risk. He fears that his advocacy on behalf 
of this program has put crosshairs on his back in the neighborhood and 
that his family may even be targeted as well. Every street corner in 
his neighborhood, every street he crosses, comes with a risk. He has to 
look around constantly to see if the gang members are going to target 
him. But still, even under this unimaginable stress, John is looking 
for a new path in his life. I asked him what he wanted to do. He said 
he would like to apply to attend Chicago State University, which is 
near this area. I hope he can get there. And I hope he will be a 
success, but it is amazing that he still has that dream after all that 
he has seen.
  For young people in Chicago like him, there is no quick fix. If you 
grew up in a family without stability and security at home, in school, 
or in a neighborhood, which many of us take for granted every day, it 
can harm your development and change the way you see the world. The 
CDC's landmark study on ACEs, adverse childhood experiences, tells us 
that exposure to trauma is linked to risk of drug use, suicide, 
academic struggle, and many other problems. If you are a young child 
experiencing this chaos, if you watch a family member get shot or 
violently assaulted, it leaves a scar called trauma. Trauma can stay 
with a child for life.
  That is why violence intervention programs like READI Chicago are so 
important, connecting these at-risk youth with cognitive behavioral 
therapy, paid transitional jobs, wraparound support services, resources 
that support the healthy development of children who are struggling 
with trauma. These are the resources that will change a young person's 
life and set him on a better path, a path where he can discover a 
passionate calling and, ultimately, get back to the community.
  We must invest in these long-term solutions to break cycles of 
violence and trauma. The bipartisan RISE from Trauma Act that I have 
introduced with Senator Capito, a Republican from West Virginia, and 
many colleagues, is an important step in that direction. It would 
provide $5 billion that President Biden has called for in his Build 
Back Better agenda for community violence intervention.
  We in the Senate need to take immediate steps to combat violent 
crime. Can't we just get together and agree that we don't want to sell 
firearms to people who are convicted felons? It seems so obvious, and 
there is such public support for it. I want my colleagues to understand 
that the problem of gun violence isn't confined to the city of Chicago. 
We have cities that are much smaller downstate that are seeing an 
increase in gun violence as well. It is time for us to do something 
about it.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.