[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 109 (Thursday, June 22, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H3098-H3099]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

  (Ms. TOKUDA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. TOKUDA. Madam Speaker, 17-year-old Richianna Deguzman was 
supposed to start her first job this week. Instead, she is on life 
support fighting for her life because of a senseless and tragic act of 
gun violence.
  While Hawaii has some of the strongest gun safety laws, Richianna's 
family and friends know it is not enough. Right now they are praying 
for a miracle and pleading for an end to gun violence.
  The sad reality is that there are thousands of Richiannas every day 
across this country--kids who deserve better than a Congress more 
beholden to the gun lobby than to protecting them.
  For too long, Congress has ignored the majority of Americans who want

[[Page H3099]]

the killing to stop. We cannot sit idly by as Americans continue to 
live in fear.
  Last week, I joined my colleagues in signing discharge petitions to 
demand House votes on several gun safety measures.
  At the same time, House Republicans pushed through a measure to 
weaken regulations on stabilizing braces for firearms, an accessory 
used in several mass shootings across our country over the last decade.
  Enough is enough. We demand an end to gun violence and a safer future 
for our ``keiki,'' ``kids.''

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