[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 171 (Thursday, September 30, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H5565]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE VIPER PROGRAM SHOULD BE EXTENDED

  (Mr. HIGGINS of New York asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Madam Speaker, the Buffalo-Niagara region 
faces a serious and tragic rise in gun violence, as does the entire 
country. It has devastated neighborhoods and torn families apart.
  Crime data released this week confirms that this is a local problem 
and a national problem as well.
  In 2020, the number of murders in our country spiked by 30 percent, a 
record increase.
  This year, the Department of Justice created the Violence Prevention 
and Elimination Response Task Force, called VIPER. Its aim is getting 
illegal guns off our streets and stopping violent criminals.
  VIPER has been remarkably successful at stemming gun violence and 
saving lives.
  Buffalo has seen a 50 percent decrease in homicides since the program 
started.
  Each person lost to gun violence is another human denied a lifetime 
of opportunity and a family left behind.
  VIPER is continuing through October, but the Department of Justice 
needs to make this a permanent program to stop gun violence in Buffalo 
and throughout the Nation.

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