[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 123 (Tuesday, July 18, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H3687-H3692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    GUN VIOLENCE IS THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH FOR AMERICAN CHILDREN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Langworthy). Under the Speaker's 
announced policy of January 9, 2023, the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Thompson) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority 
leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks and to submit extraneous material into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, gun violence is the leading 
cause of death for American children.
  Let me repeat that: Gun violence is the leading cause of death for 
our kids. It is shameful that every Member in

[[Page H3688]]

this body knows that guns are used to kill our kids and the Republican 
majority is refusing to take any action to stop this epidemic.
  Parents are scared to send their kids to school. They are worried 
that it may be the last time they see them alive. Kids are being 
impacted by active-shooter drills and are scared to death that their 
school will be the next site of a school shooting.
  The Gun Violence Prevention Task Force is leading efforts in Congress 
to compel our Republican colleagues to bring gun violence prevention 
measures up for a vote.
  The American people are with us on this. The only place that gun 
violence prevention is a partisan issue is right here in this Congress.
  A recent FOX News poll shows that the American people overwhelmingly 
support gun violence prevention measures, 87 percent support universal 
background checks, 81 percent support raising the legal age to purchase 
firearms to 21, 80 percent support red flag laws, and in this same FOX 
poll, 61 percent support banning assault weapons.
  It is time for the House Republicans to join House Democrats in 
prioritizing saving our kids. Democrats took an important first step in 
the last Congress when President Biden signed into law the Bipartisan 
Safer Communities Act, which was the first major gun violence 
prevention bill signed in 30 years. There is still more work to do.
  We are here this evening to shine a spotlight on the failure of the 
Republicans to join us in support of policies that will save lives. The 
Republican leadership's callous inaction is contributing to a mass 
casualty every day in our country. There have been more mass shootings 
this year than there have been days in the year.
  As a combat veteran, a hunter, and a gun owner, not one Republican 
can tell me that background checks interfere with our Second Amendment.
  When debating background checks, we have definitively refuted every 
tired Republican excuse time and time again. Republicans have countered 
with an even more callous response: They respond to every death with 
deafening silence.
  The Gun Violence Prevention Task Force will continue our work to hold 
Republicans accountable for their obstruction. The leading cause of 
death of our children and teens demands our attention, and we are 
demanding that the House pass legislation to help save lives.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. 
Crow), my friend and colleague from Colorado, and an Army Ranger who 
was deployed in both Afghanistan and Iraq.
  Mr. CROW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the victims of the 
horrific mass shooting that occurred at Century 16 movie theater in 
Aurora, Colorado, 11 years ago. My community forever changed the night 
of July 20, 2012.
  Twelve people, with arms full of popcorn and candy, walked into 
theater 9 and never walked out. I think those of us in this room whose 
communities have faced this type of tragedy would agree: There is a 
before and there is an after, and what comes after is a shattered 
community trying to make sense of a senseless act of violence.
  Today, we remember Veronica, AJ, Micayla, Jessica, Alexander, 
Jonathan, John, Matt, Alex, Jesse, Rebecca, and Gordon. They should 
still be here.
  Every year, Aurora and the greater Colorado community come together 
to remember the lives we lost and the collective trauma shared. We also 
recognize those, who in the face of unspeakable fear, stepped up to 
help their loved ones and neighbors.
  Let us not grow numb to the pain of this day, rather, we honor the 
lives of those we lost by being relentless in our pursuit for gun 
reform. As Members of Congress and as Americans, it is our duty.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman 
from Pennsylvania, Mary Gay Scanlon.

  Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, there have been more mass shootings this 
year than there have been days.
  We do not have to live like this.
  Children are scared to go to school, parents are scared to put their 
kids on the bus, and teachers are scared that they will have to protect 
their students from a mass shooter in the classroom. The daily gun 
violence that often goes unreported by the media, including suicide and 
domestic violence, impacts neighborhoods in every corner of the 
country.
  We do not have to live like this.
  Last Congress, House Democrats passed into law the most significant 
gun violence prevention legislation in 30 years, but we know that was 
only a baby step in the right direction. We have seen that evidence-
based violence prevention programs, like group violence intervention, 
can dramatically reduce gun violence. When it was implemented in the 
city of Chester, Pennsylvania, 3 years ago, homicides by gun dropped by 
over 60 percent. The expansion of that program to other cities around 
the country is already yielding results, but we have also seen the 
fatal impact of guns flooding our streets nationwide and making their 
way into the hands of criminal or mentally unstable users.
  We can't give up. Democrats are working to prevent the bloodshed.
  We are offering commonsense legislation that will address the 
epidemic of gun violence and protect the Second Amendment rights of 
responsible gun owners.
  Democrats introduced three discharge petitions last month to ban 
assault weapons, require universal background checks, and close the 
Charleston loophole. The MAGA Republicans running Congress don't want 
these bills to come to the floor because they would have to make a 
choice, and voters would see it, whether to side with the gun lobby 
that funds their program, their campaigns, or to protect our kids and 
our communities.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues, especially those who claim to be 
moderates, to have the courage to sign the discharge petitions and 
force Speaker McCarthy to bring the legislation to the floor and to 
have the courage to choose kids over guns.
  We do not have to live this way.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I would just remind you that 
guns are the leading cause of death for children in the United States 
of America, and we are here today because we can do something about it.
  If you look at this other chart, it clearly points out that, again, 
firearms are the leading cause of death. However, if you look at other 
factors, the second, motor vehicle accidents, look at the steep decline 
in the loss of lives from motor vehicle accidents.
  It is because we did something. We passed laws, we made cars safer, 
we reduced the number of children who were killed in automobile 
accidents by taking action on this floor, and it is shameful that the 
Republican leadership will not allow us to do that today to curb 
children's death by gun violence.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts 
(Mr. Auchincloss).
  Mr. AUCHINCLOSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding and 
for convening this critically important Special Order hour.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the plague of gun violence in 
our country.
  I was asked recently whether January 6, 2021, was my worst day in 
Congress, and I answered truthfully that no, it wasn't, actually. My 
worst day in Congress was the night of the Uvalde shooting when I 
tucked my children into bed knowing that families in Texas would never 
get to do the same again, when at that very moment, they were 
identifying them by their shoes.
  I am sad to say that since then, my Republican colleagues have 
continued to bow to the will of the gun lobby instead of listening to 
families across the country who are begging for action.
  This uniquely American suffering is a policy choice. It doesn't have 
to be this way. We know what we need to do to fix it. We need to pass 
the assault weapons ban. I slept, ate, trained, and patrolled with an 
assault weapon for 4 years as a marine officer.
  Weapons of war have no place on our streets or near our schools. We 
also need to adopt commonsense gun safety measures like universal 
background checks, red flag laws, safe storage requirements, and 
evidence-driven violence intervention policies. All of these are 
supported by a supermajority of Americans and, indeed, by a majority of 
gun owners.
  My home State of Massachusetts is a good example of how strong, sound 
policy can save lives. Research suggests

[[Page H3689]]

that if our State's gun safety legislation were adopted nationwide, 
tens of thousands of children could be saved every year. Congress would 
do well to follow that lead.

                              {time}  1900

  It is time for Republicans in Congress to find a backbone, stand up 
to the gun lobby and NRA, and work with Democrats to keep our 
communities safe.
  We cannot continue to allow our schools, our places of worship, and 
our grocery stores to become scenes of terror because of a lack of 
political courage.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, can you give us any idea 
when the Republican leadership will bring bills to deal with gun 
violence prevention to the floor for a vote?
  I didn't think so.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Scholten).
  Ms. SCHOLTEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the west 
Michiganders who are asking and begging Congress to finally act on the 
uniquely American gun violence epidemic.
  As a mother and a lawmaker, I simply cannot sit by and let our kids 
be senselessly killed in their classrooms and our communities any 
longer. It is just too much.
  Gun violence has become the number one cause of death for kids in the 
United States. Not drug overdoses, not car accidents. Gun violence.
  Earlier this year, the entire State of Michigan watched in horror as 
the Michigan State University campus was on lockdown during a mass 
shooting. Three students died and five were injured. The reverberating 
impacts were felt around the entire State and the entire country. The 
effects of this trauma linger.
  This is now the reality for our children and young adults, but it 
doesn't have to be.
  I stand here on the floor today with my sons watching on, urging my 
Republican colleagues to take commonsense action. We can and must come 
together to close loopholes in the law, ensure universal background 
checks, and keep guns out of the hands of those that should not have 
them.
  I stand ready with my fellow task force members to do the work to 
protect our kids, schools, families, and communities across the 
country. It is time our Republican colleagues join us.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman 
from North Carolina (Mrs. Foushee).
  Mrs. FOUSHEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge Congress to confront 
and act on the deadly epidemic that plagues our communities each day: 
gun violence.
  This is a painful topic and one that is near to my heart. In this 
year alone, there has been an average of two mass shootings per day. 
Gun violence continues to be the leading cause of death for children 
and teens in this country.
  Earlier this month, a 5-year-old girl from my district was shot and 
killed by one of her family members after an argument, and the girl's 
15-year-old babysitter was also shot--seven times.
  Unfortunately, this is not an isolated event. In Durham, which is 
located in my district, over 20 young people under the age of 17 have 
been victims of gun violence since the start of this year.
  Thoughts and prayers are not enough and will never be enough. Gun 
violence victims, gun violence survivors, their families, and their 
loved ones all deserve more. Congress must act urgently to save lives 
and keep our communities safe.
  The House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force has been pushing for 
action by signing discharge petitions for the Bipartisan Background 
Checks Act, the Assault Weapons Ban, and to block the Charleston 
loophole.
  This is a bipartisan issue that a majority of Americans support, but 
we need support from across the aisle.
  Addressing gun violence requires an all-hands-on-deck approach that 
includes increasing access to mental health services, investing in 
youth mentoring programs, decreasing firearm access through safe 
storage, and much more.
  My Republican colleagues claim to be working on this issue, but not 
one of them has joined our task force to help end gun violence 
nationwide. Instead, they have unilaterally worked against gun violence 
prevention action on this House floor.
  No one in America should have to fear for their lives in our schools, 
our stores, our places of worship, our streets, or anywhere in our 
communities.
  House Democrats and the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force 
stand united, and we will not waiver. I encourage our colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle to put their words into action and join us in 
these efforts to save lives.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman mentioned 
that our Republican colleagues aren't doing anything in regard to guns. 
It is actually worse than that. They have done something. The 
Republicans passed a bill, a gun bill, off this floor this year. Their 
bill would make this gun legal.
  Short-barreled rifles have been regulated by the National Firearms 
Act for decades. They are regulated because they are incredibly 
dangerous, they are easy to conceal, and they are deadly accurate. They 
are used in crimes. They are responsible for the deaths of many, many 
people, and they have been tightly regulated.
  The Republicans in this House passed a bill that makes this gun 
legal. They call it an arm brace. ``Arm brace'' is just another way of 
saying you are putting a stock on a semiautomatic assault pistol, so 
you are making it a short-barreled assault rifle. It is lethal. It is 
immoral. Everyone who voted for that bill and the leadership who 
brought it to this floor for a vote should be ashamed of themselves.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib).
  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the leadership and 
guidance by Congressman Thompson as he leads our effort with the task 
force. I have learned so much about some of the work that has been done 
prior to getting here and knowing, again, we are taking steps, but we 
know that we need to move with urgency.
  I know 205 of my Democratic colleagues have signed a discharge 
position to bring the assault weapons ban to the House floor for a 
vote. I don't know how many more mass shootings it will take for 
Republicans to finally join us.

  These weapons of war have been used in many of the deadliest mass 
shootings in our history and are the weapons of choice for shooters to 
kill as many people as possible as quickly as possible.
  From 1994, Mr. Speaker, to 2004, while American families were 
protected by the assault weapons ban, there were 40 percent fewer 
shootings. Since the ban expired in 2004, gun violence has massacred 
our communities.
  A bullet fired by an assault weapon can tear a softball-sized wound 
into victims. Imagine a child. There is no reason that anyone needs a 
weapon that can fire up to 60 rounds per minute.
  Weapons of war designed to hunt human beings have no place in our 
communities, our schools, our places of worship, or on our streets.
  It is shameful that many Republican colleagues care more about 
securing funding from the NRA than saving the lives of our children. 
Their inaction has left our communities devastated and families torn 
apart.
  The trauma of being survivors of gun violence is real. We cannot 
afford to wait any longer. We owe it to the victims, to survivors, to 
our children. We must honor them with action by banning assault 
weapons.
  Maite, a 10-year-old child who was killed in Uvalde, deserves us to 
act today. She deserves us to do more to save lives.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time 
remaining?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from California has 40 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, 30 people every day are 
killed by someone using a gun. If you add accidental deaths and 
suicides, that number jumps up to 100 people per day. It costs the 
American taxpayers roughly $600 billion every year. Gun violence costs 
almost $600 billion every year. Communities across our country are 
upended. We already heard that there have been more mass shootings this 
year than there have been days of the year.

[[Page H3690]]

  Police officers across the country are taking ghost guns off the 
streets every single day, guns that can be purchased as a kit so they 
don't need a background check and they are unserialized. These are guns 
that are used a lot in crime. Cops are taking them off the streets 
every day.
  This is a serious problem. Our communities are hurting. People are 
being killed. We need to take action. The Republican leadership in this 
House needs to bring gun violence prevention legislation to the floor 
so we can vote it out and help keep our communities safer.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. 
DeSaulnier).
  Mr. DeSAULNIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my neighbor and colleague and 
friend, Congressman Thompson, for the time and for his tireless 
leadership on this important topic and for his incredible 
understanding, from many perspectives, on this important subject.
  I come to this subject as a survivor of gun violence, having lost my 
father to gun violence 44 years ago. As Mr. Thompson mentioned, suicide 
is the leading issue with gun violence, and we know the free and easy 
access to guns in States and communities that don't provide for 
evidence-based research results in almost 60 percent of those daily 
deaths. Sixty of the 100 a day are by people that are self-inflicted 
like my father.
  In California, the district I represent and the district Mr. Thompson 
represents, the Bay Area, we can be proud that these commonsense, 
evidence-based gun violence and public health initiatives make you 
safer. According to Giffords, significantly safer. We have years of 
research to demonstrate this.
  While we are proud of the fact that you are safer in California in 
our districts because of sound public evidence and constitutionally 
approved policy, we are frustrated that weak gun laws in other parts of 
the country make it more dangerous even in our communities.
  Forty percent of the guns used in California come from outside of the 
State illegally. The ATF reports that nearly 60,000 guns are trafficked 
across State lines nationally each year with tragic results.
  As many as 87 percent of the firearms used in crimes in Chicago, New 
York, and Boston were trafficked from other States, in spite of those 
jurisdictions' thoughtful gun violence prevention laws.
  Seventy-five percent of trace guns that cross State lines come from 
States without background checks.
  Because of this patchwork of State and local laws, States like 
California, with strong gun laws, see increased rates of gun homicide 
and gun crime when they border States with weak gun laws.
  To make a real impact, action has to happen here at the Federal 
level. We should all commit that we will not back down from this fight 
because every American, no matter where they live, regardless of where 
they call home, deserves to live free of the fear of gun violence.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Schneider).

                              {time}  1915

  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to once again call for urgent 
action to address the epidemic of gun violence in our Nation. What is 
wrong with us as a people who we are increasingly here in this well 
mourning needless gun deaths, yet we can't move in this body any 
commonsense, wildly popular policies to keep our children and our 
communities safe?
  How many more shootings will we have to endure? How many more lives 
will have to be lost before Congress--let me be specific here--before 
my Republican colleagues will do anything to help take care of our kids 
and our communities?
  We have put to this Congress legislation to require universal 
background checks, ban assault weapons, get ghost guns off our streets, 
and store firearms safely. Yet, not one of my Republican colleagues can 
find the will or the courage to support any of this lifesaving 
legislation. For goodness' sake, these bills are law-and-order 
legislation.
  Every day, more than 100 people die from gun violence in this 
country. In the first 6 months of this year alone, more than 23,000 
people have lost their lives needlessly to gun violence in the United 
States. I represent Highland Park, Illinois, which is still reeling 
from a mass shooting last July Fourth when seven people were murdered 
and more than 40 grievously wounded.
  Last year, that was the 308th mass shooting in the country. This 
year, we have already had more than 390 mass shootings.
  These deaths impact us all. The trauma resonates throughout our 
society. Right now, in America, when our children enter kindergarten, 
one of the first things they learn is how to react and behave if an 
active shooter enters their school.
  As has been noted, gun violence is the leading cause of death for 
children in the United States. As it says right there on the board, 
guns are the leading cause of death for children in the United States.
  Children are suffering post-traumatic stress from Highland Park in my 
communities and in communities all around this Nation. Children are 
facing violence every single day as they walk to school, as they study 
in their class, and as they join their families in houses of worship.
  Republican inaction is unconscionable. As I spend time in my district 
talking to constituents, I constantly hear about how Congress needs to 
tackle this issue.
  Earlier this month, I held a roundtable with police chiefs in our 
community. There were 17 community police chiefs plus our county 
sheriff. The very first issue they raised with me, which was brought up 
earlier by Mr. Thompson, was getting ghost guns off of our streets.
  For those unfamiliar, ghost guns are unserialized and untraceable 
firearms that can be bought online and assembled at home. These are 
bought online by criminals and bought online by young kids who are too 
young to buy guns in a store.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud today to be introducing the Ghost Guns and 
Untraceable Firearms Act with my colleague and friend, Representative 
Adriano Espaillat. Our legislation would amend the legal definition of 
a firearm to include ghost guns, requiring those who buy gun components 
to comply with Federal gun regulations.
  I urge leadership to bring this and other critical commonsense gun 
violence prevention bills to the floor immediately. This is not a 
Republican or a Democratic issue. This issue affects every American in 
every community in every State of our Nation, and we have to do our 
jobs in this body to keep our communities and our children safe.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
his remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, tonight, members of the Gun Violence Prevention Task 
Force have made clear the terrible cost of gun violence on our kids, 
families, schools, and communities.
  We have talked about sad milestones. In 2020, guns became the leading 
killer of kids in America after overtaking motor vehicle accidents.
  Another dark milestone has been the 389 mass shootings already this 
year. We have had more mass shootings by mid-July this year than we had 
in all of 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.
  We know it doesn't have to be this way. We know that States with the 
most gun violence prevention laws have half the death rate for children 
and teenagers compared to States with the least gun violence prevention 
laws. The States can't do it alone.
  These weak national gun safety laws make it much too easy for people 
who are a danger to themselves or a danger to others to access guns 
regardless of where they live.
  According to the ATF gun-tracing database, the largest source of out-
of-State guns used in crimes in my home State of California is Arizona, 
a State with over twice the gun death rate whose gun laws are rated an 
F.
  Likewise, New York, a State with the fourth lowest gun death rate, 
has guns pouring in from Georgia, which, you might have guessed, has an 
F rating as well for their weak gun violence laws and over three times 
the gun death rate.
  Similarly, gun deaths in Illinois are fueled by guns from Indiana, 
Missouri, and Wisconsin, States whose gun laws are rated F, F, and D-
plus, respectively.

[[Page H3691]]

  Members of our task force have been calling on the Republican 
leadership to bring commonsense gun violence prevention bills to the 
floor to protect our kids and keep our communities safe.
  Mr. Speaker, tonight, we have been on the floor for 30 minutes 
focused on gun violence prevention. That is 30 more minutes than 
Republicans have scheduled to debate gun violence prevention bills on 
the House floor this entire Congress.
  Tonight, you heard from Army veterans, Marine Corps veterans, combat 
veterans, hunters, gun owners, and moms and dads. We say: Enough. We 
need to pass laws that will help keep our children and our communities 
safe.
  We will continue to fight until Republicans join us in stopping the 
gun violence epidemic or until Democratic leadership in the next 
Congress can resume our work and pass the gun violence prevention 
legislation that has proven to save lives.

  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman very much, and I 
want to join the stellar Members from so many different backgrounds to 
add another 2 minutes to that 30 minutes and emphasize that it is now 
32 more minutes than we have had an opportunity to discuss gun 
violence--gun violence against our children.
  I am reminded of the late John Lewis, and as I look to the front, Mr. 
Speaker, where you are, I am reminded of the overwhelming impact that 
gun violence had just a couple of years ago when he was alive, so much 
so that Members took to the floor--the actual floor--and sat down on 
the floor because the pain was so deep.
  I remember the tear that President Obama shed as he had to speak 
about Sandy Hook. I remember going to Uvalde within days of 19 children 
and teachers being slaughtered. Yes, Mr. Speaker, they were slaughtered 
with an AR-15 that a young man was able to get online and have shipped 
to him without any background check of sorts and without any 
supervision. He was able to recklessly shoot his grandmother in the 
face and leave his house to go to an elementary school just a few 
blocks away.
  One could not expect law enforcement initially to know what was going 
to happen. One thing we do know is that if that young man had not had 
an AR-15, those little babies in Uvalde, where parents are still in 
such abject pain, would still be alive.
  We also know that as I worship with them, as I hug them, they have 
now become, through their own advocacy, absolutely incredulous that we 
in this country have not been able to pass bans on assault weapons. I 
support bills like the Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act, which 
impacted Kimberly Vaughan, a 14-year-old who died in Santa Fe because 
another young man was able to get guns that were left at home.
  I think I am here as a mother and as a Member of Congress who has 
been here since Columbine. I remember being on the Columbine task force 
to see what we could do about guns. I have been through Sandy Hook, 
Parkland, Santa Fe, Virginia Tech, various churches, synagogues, and 
temples that have seen gun violence--and dance studios.
  I don't know what it takes for this Congress to come together. No one 
is trying to take away anyone's firearms. The Second Amendment is 
constitutionally present. It is in place. None of the language in the 
Second Amendment prevents us from having a reasonable, safe regulatory 
scheme that will help save all of our lives.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman very much. As the vice chair of the 
gun task force and the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Crime and 
Federal Government Surveillance, we are waiting and ready to take up 
bills as we did with the Protect our Kids Act and the Bipartisan Safer 
Communities Act. There is still a lapse of real bills that further need 
to be in place to change laws. The waiting period, the issue of 
universal background checks, and storage bills are really crucial to 
saving lives.
  The last point I will make is that we often use mental illness. Let 
me say that we pray for people who suffer from mental health concerns, 
but other countries around the world have people who suffer from mental 
health concerns, and I do not label them in generality. These are human 
beings who fight every day to survive. That is not a good excuse for 
saying that is what is causing gun violence. It is not.
  In tribute to my colleagues who come from cities like Chicago and 
other cities where there is handgun violence, individual violence, and 
domestic violence, you need to have a response to just plain gun 
violence. That means we have to debate on this floor and find a common 
solution.
  A word to my colleagues in the name of the children who have died, 
the number one killer of our children in America, and in the name of 
places like Uvalde and Sandy Hook that comes to mind, Parkland and 
other places where children have died, we can minimally do something to 
help our children. Let's do real anti-gun violence legislation. Let's 
make our children safe.
  Mr. Speaker, today, I speak out in support of my bill H.R. 52, the 
Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act.
  This bill establishes best practices for safe firearm storage to 
protect Americans, especially children, from improperly stored or 
misused firearms.
  The Kimberly Vaughn Firearm Safe Storage Act is named after one of 
the victims of a shooting rampage that took place on May 18, 2018, when 
a 17-year-old student went on a shooting rampage, killing 8 students 
and 2 teachers and wounding 13 others at Santa Fe High School in 
Houston, Texas.
  The shotgun and pistol used by the perpetrator belonged to his father 
and were available to him at home.
  In 80 percent of gunfire incidents at schools where the shooter is 
under 18, the shooter obtained the firearm from their home or the home 
of extended family or friends.
  Texas is the state with the second most mass shootings this year so 
far with a total of 50, and the highest number of mass shooting deaths 
in the U.S.
  Only 3 of 10 adults in households with children report storing all 
guns unloaded and locked up.
  Safe storage practices are also important to keep firearms away from 
dangerous individuals.
  In the last decade, nearly two million firearms have been reported 
stolen.
  An estimated 47,000 guns are stolen each year in Texas alone.
  Overall, at least 186,548 firearms were reported stolen in Texas over 
from 2007 to 2016, which is more than any other state in the nation.
  America's gun epidemic is as deadly as ever.
  The frequency of firearm violence can largely be accredited to the 
lack of safe firearm storage.
  Previously part of the Protecting Our Kids Act in the 117th Congress 
with the addition of a tax credit program, the Kimberly Vaughan Firearm 
Safe Storage Act is an exhaustive solution to improperly stored or 
misused firearms.
  Firearm injury is the leading cause of death for children and young 
adults in the United States.
  American children are twice as likely to be shot and killed as they 
are to die drowning.
  However, there are more safety regulations for pools than gun 
storage.
  An estimated 4.6 million minors live in homes with at least one 
unlocked, loaded firearm.
  One in three U.S. households with children have firearms and firearms 
accounted for nearly 19 percent of childhood deaths in 2021, which is a 
50 percent increase since 2019.
  Securing firearms protects children in preventing unintentional 
shootings and firearm suicides.
  The spokeswoman for the National Rifle Association noted earlier this 
year that, ``the NRA supports safe storage for every firearm owned in 
America, and we educate gun owners to keep firearms away from 
unauthorized users.''
  This is a nonpartisan issue with a bipartisan solution.
  On average, 9 minors are killed by improperly stored or misused guns 
every day.
  In my home state of Texas, more than 4,000 Texans are shot and killed 
each year.
  The Kimberly Vaughn Firearm Safe Storage Act is an important bill 
that will establish best practices for storing firearms.
  In particular, the Attorney General is directed to establish 
voluntary best practices relating to safe firearm storage and publish 
them on a website and in print.
  Second, it will require most weapons to have a clear written notice 
on the packaging that says, ``Safe Storage Saves Lives'' and how to 
obtain the best practices established by the Attorney General.
  Additionally, the bill will provide grants to states and local 
governments with a ten-year, $10 million grant program to distribute 
safe storage devices.
  Every year, almost 20,000 children are shot and killed or wounded by 
a firearm, and 3 million are exposed to gun violence.

[[Page H3692]]

  The presence of unsecured firearms in the home increases the risk of 
unintentional and intentional shootings.
  It is long past the time to do something about the epidemic of gun 
violence in our nation--the nation that prides itself on protecting our 
children and the future generations.
  If we want to protect the youth, we must start by learning how to 
effectively store guns in the homes that choose to have them.
  The Kimberly Vaughan Firearm Safe Storage Act will help protect our 
children and adults from senseless gun violence through simple gun 
storage legislation.
  I encourage my colleagues in the House and on the Gun Violence 
Prevention Task Force to push this bill forward so we can promptly and 
proactively act on preventing firearm violence in America.
  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
her remarks, her good work on gun violence prevention efforts, and her 
dedication to making sure that we pass the laws that will keep our kids 
and our communities safe.
  Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, we have had Army combat 
veterans, Marine Corps combat veterans, hunters, gun owners, gun 
collectors, and moms and dads on this floor tonight asking and pleading 
with the Republican leadership to allow gun violence prevention 
legislation to come to this floor for debate and for a vote.
  Mr. Speaker, can you give us any idea when your leadership will be 
bringing gun violence prevention bills to the floor for action?
  Sadly, that is what I was afraid of. Silence. Just like after every 
mass shooting, silence.
  There has to be an effort on the part of this leadership to deal with 
this issue that is disrupting communities and leading to thousands and 
thousands of deaths.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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