[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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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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