[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 159 (Friday, September 30, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H8321]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ADDRESSING INNER-CITY GUN VIOLENCE
(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, on Tuesday, as they were leaving football
practice at Roxborough High School in Philadelphia, five teenage boys
were shot. Four survived the horrific shooting, but 14-year-old Nicolas
Elizalde was killed. God bless him.
Earlier that day, I stood with Representative Scanlon, the Giffords
organization, and the community to advocate for gun violence
prevention. One of the advocates in our audience was a grandmother like
me. Only hours later, it was her grandson, Nicolas, who was gunned down
leaving football practice.
I cannot imagine her pain. Nicolas is the 23rd child to be shot and
murdered in Philadelphia this year.
There is a frightening trend of far too many illicit guns ending up
in the hands of teenagers. This must end.
We need serious solutions, not finger-pointing, to address inner-city
gun violence. We cannot simply out-police loose gun laws that
contribute to teenagers getting their hands on guns and murdering one
another.
So, while this may be the final day of our session, I will not stop
working on this issue. I will be sending a letter to ATF requesting an
increased focus on ending the pipeline of guns to our children's hands.
____________________