[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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