[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 6 (Thursday, January 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H68]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REFORMING THE SECOND AMENDMENT
(Mr. MOULTON asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. MOULTON. Mr. Speaker, Americans bought nearly 60 million guns
between 2020 and 2022. It is not hard to understand why. People are
scared. Each day brings news of another gun violence tragedy, and most
don't even make the headlines.
It is natural to think that we need guns to feel safe, but the way to
stop gun violence is not with more guns. The risk of homicide is three
times higher when there are guns in a home. Women who own handguns are
35 times more likely to commit suicide than those who don't; men are
eight times more likely.
To be clear, this isn't about taking away guns from responsible gun
owners. We can live in a country with a healthy Second Amendment but
where we don't have multiple mass shootings or 68 gun suicides a day.
Democrats want reasonable solutions to get us there, and we stand
ready to work with Republicans and gun owners on policies that will
save lives.
A few commonsense steps are to ban high-capacity weapons of war, to
expand background checks and red flag laws, to increase access to
mental health care, and to hold gun manufacturers accountable.
This is the number one cause of death for American children, so let's
stop the denial. This crisis won't end until we take decisive action.
We can't just shoot our way out of it.
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