[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 22 (Thursday, February 2, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H634]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE SURVIVORS AWARENESS WEEK

  (Mr. SCHNEIDER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, this week is National Gun Violence 
Survivors Awareness Week.
  A decade ago, in this spot, I gave my first speech in the House about 
the epidemic of gun violence in our Nation. I could not then have 
imagined two things: First, that Congress would fail to take 
significant action to address gun violence in our Nation; and second, 
that mass shootings would continue to grow as an epidemic. Last year 
alone, there were 647 mass shootings in our country, including in my 
community of Highland Park.
  For all the hundreds of communities that are affected and part of 
this tragic union from the devastation of gun violence, the effects are 
permanent.
  Seven months ago, in my community, at 10:14 a.m. on July 4 at the 
Independence Day parade in Highland Park, a monster with an assault 
rifle climbed a ladder and fired 83 bullets in less than a minute into 
the festive crowd below. He murdered seven wonderful people, wounded 
dozens more, and traumatized an entire community.
  The devastation and damage to a human body from these weapons are 
inconceivable. We have to address gun violence. We have to pass an 
assault weapons ban that was introduced this week. I call on our 
communities to act.

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