[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 22, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3097-S3098]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    BIPARTISAN SAFER COMMUNITIES ACT

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, for far too long, Americans have grappled 
with the epidemic of gun violence that has taken lives and shattered 
families and communities in my home State of Michigan as well as all 
across the country.
  These shootings and attacks not only cause unimaginable pain and 
grief for victims and their families but terrorize entire communities, 
who must cope with the lasting effects of unspeakable tragedy in their 
schools, in their theaters, houses of worship, and other public places.
  There is no one easy solution to address this matter, but Americans 
deserve to feel safe where they live, where they work and learn and 
shop and pray; and these senseless acts of violence occur far too 
often.
  From the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre of young students and school 
staff, to the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Tree 
of Life synagogue shootings that killed Americans simply practicing 
their faith, to the deadly and hateful and heinous attacks at Pulse 
nightclub and a grocery store in Buffalo, gun violence has left no 
corner of our country untouched.
  In Michigan, sadly, we know all too well the terror and the 
devastation caused by gun violence. Late last year, in Oxford, MI, a 
horrific shooting unfolded at Oxford High School. In a matter of just 
mere minutes, a routine school day at Oxford High turned into a scene 
of chaos and heartbreak when a gunman--a 15-year-old classmate--opened 
fire inside the school, taking four young lives and wounding seven 
other people. That attack forever changed the lives of the students, 
the teachers, staff, and shattered the assumption that schools are a 
safe haven.
  Oxford High School students and the entire community have been 
resilient, but as they continued to process the shooting and to work to 
heal from it, those emotional wounds again reopened for many when they 
watched yet another horrific scene play out at Robb Elementary School 
in Uvalde, TX, where 19 young students and 2 teachers were murdered.
  Schools are supposed to be a safe haven. Parents and family members 
should not live in fear that their children or their loved ones who are 
at work won't return home at the end of that school day. And while 
there is no single solution to end the gun violence epidemic, for far 
too long, partisan gridlock has prevented Congress from advancing 
commonsense legislation that can save lives.
  For decades, politics have stood in the way of progress, and that is 
despite 90 percent of the American people--including a majority of 
Republican voters--supporting commonsense steps like expanding 
background checks. In today's partisan environment, it is tough to get 
consensus, but that just shows how much support there is to getting 
something done.
  This should not be a partisan issue. We know that many responsible 
gun owners across our country support gun safety legislation. I am a 
gun owner. I enjoy hunting, as do so many in Michigan, and I know that 
we can pass measures to improve public safety while protecting the 
rights of law-abiding citizens.
  After nearly three decades without major progress, we are on the 
verge--on the verge--of a significant breakthrough as we consider the 
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This legislation will take important 
steps to address gun violence, improve school safety, and increase 
mental health resources.
  There is no question that this legislation could have included 
additional measures that are overwhelmingly supported by a majority of 
the American people, but this is still a significant step forward. We 
cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good. This bill will help 
protect our children, our schools, and our communities.

[[Page S3098]]

  And by passing this bill, we can make progress right now. Right now, 
with this legislation, we can strengthen background checks for gun 
buyers under the age of 21 and keep guns out of the hands of dangerous 
people who simply should not have them. This includes providing 
critical support for red flag laws at the State level to ensure deadly 
weapons are kept out of the hands of individuals who a court has 
determined to be a significant danger to themselves or to others.
  And right now, we can offer protections to victims of domestic 
violence by adding convicted abusers in dating relationships to the 
National Instant Criminal Background Check System. And right now, we 
can crack down on criminals who illegally evade licensing requirements.
  Right now, we can increase funding for school safety to institute 
safety measures in and around schools and support school violence 
prevention efforts. Right now, we can improve access to essential 
mental health care resources, which school safety advocates and 
violence prevention professionals agree is the key--the key--to 
providing an early opportunity for intervention--by investing in 
school-based health services to support those impacted by traumatic 
events.
  I am grateful to my colleague Senator Stabenow, who has led the 
charge to ensure that legislation include proven, effective initiatives 
that will strengthen mental health services, and I urge my colleagues 
to work together to pass this legislation and encourage the House of 
Representatives to quickly--to quickly--do the same and send it to the 
President to be signed into law.
  But know this: The bottom line is that our work to save lives and 
protect public safety must not end here. We must continue to come 
together and address this very real threat that is hurting communities 
all across our country. When we face difficult challenges and crises 
here in our country, we persevere because we ultimately come together 
as one. Let's channel this spirit and come together for every American 
before the next school, the next family, and the next community is 
shattered.

  I yield the floor.

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