[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 106 (Tuesday, June 25, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4147-H4149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                RECOGNIZING GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Edwards). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 9, 2023, the Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Georgia (Mrs. McBath) for 30 minutes.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to host tonight's Special Order 30 minutes 
with the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and Assistant Leader 
Neguse.
  We are entering the final week of Gun Violence Awareness Month. On 
this 25th day of June, it is estimated that over 2,500 Americans have 
lost their lives due to gun violence in this month alone. Over 100 
people are dying in this country every single day.
  Back in my home State of Georgia, I have seen the compounding impact 
of gun violence in our communities. Earlier this month, there was a 
shooting at the Peachtree Center mall where a gunman shot and injured 
three people. Just hours later, a man who was interviewed by local news 
as a witness to the first shooting went on to commit an act of gun 
violence himself, hijacking a Gwinnett County bus and fatally shooting 
a passenger that very same day.
  I don't know what anybody else thinks, but this epidemic is truly 
real. I know firsthand the pain of losing a loved one to senseless gun 
violence. It has been nearly 12 years now since I lost my son, Jordan, 
when he was just 17 years old.
  On Black Friday in 2012, Jordan and his friends were simply going out 
shopping at the mall. They stopped at a convenience store gas station 
for all of 3\1/2\ minutes because my son, Jordan, said: Hey, guys, if 
we are going to pick up girls at the mall, you have to have fresh 
breath.
  In those 3\1/2\ minutes, a man pulled up next to the boys in their 
car, and he started complaining about the loud music that they were 
playing. He racially profiled them, called them gang bangers. He called 
them thugs.
  Then, he fired 10 shots into the car, killing my only son, and then 
he simply drove away. He acted as if nothing had ever happened.
  He went back to his hotel with his girlfriend. They walked their 
puppy, Charlie. They ordered a pizza, and they made themselves a couple 
of stiff rum and Cokes. Then, they simply went to bed.
  It was only the next morning that they saw on television that a young 
Black male had been killed by 10 bullets at a convenience store gas 
station. This man and his girlfriend just simply got in their car and 
drove 170 miles back to Satellite Beach, Florida.
  During the trial of my son's killer, I made a promise that I would 
spend the rest of my life fighting to make sure that no one else ever 
had to experience the pain and trauma that not only my family has 
experienced but the ever-growing club of people in this country who are 
succumbing to it every single day, parents who are burying their 
children who have been taken from this Earth far too early.
  I became an advocate for gun safety. I became a spokesperson for 
Everytown for Gun Safety in America. In a district that was once held 
by Newt Gingrich, I ran for Congress strictly on a platform of gun 
safety and to save as many lives in this country as I possibly could. 
Against all odds, I won.
  In the 5 years since I have come to Congress, the House Democratic 
Caucus has truly become the gun safety caucus. That truly gives me hope 
because I never ever thought I would be here. I never ever thought I 
would be standing on this floor. I never ever thought I would be here 
in Congress, living out my son's legacy as we pass as many bills as we 
can to stop more families from feeling the same pain that I felt from 
losing a child to unnecessary and horrific gun violence in America.
  It is a testament to leaders like our Gun Violence Prevention Task 
Force chairman,   Mike Thompson, that we are able to celebrate these 
victories, these monumental accomplishments, and the remarkable change 
that has happened just within the last few years.
  Today marks 2 years of major gun safety reform with the Bipartisan 
Safer Communities Act, led by our gun sense House Democratic Caucus and 
President Biden, with parts of my red flag bill, with community 
intervention funding, and with mental health resources for all 50 
States, solutions that the American people overwhelmingly have been 
crying out for and support.
  We are building on that monumental progress every single day with the 
assault weapons ban and also the introduction of my bipartisan GOSAFE 
Act to keep weapons of war off of American streets and out of our 
schools.
  With the introduction of new legislation and movement forward on 
discharge petitions to force votes on these very important bills, we, 
the gun sense Democratic Caucus, are working to protect the American 
people every single day. Even if the current majority doesn't want to 
stand up for the safety of their own constituents and their families, 
we are committed. We will do that because the American people deserve 
to live in their communities in this country safely and freely.
  Tonight, we will hear from legislators. Many of these legislators are 
some of the most dedicated Members on this Hill who are making this 
kind of progress possible every single day. They do this work day in 
and day out, leaders who have elevated the profile of gun violence 
prevention in the Halls of this Congress and many who championed this 
issue long before they were ever even considered an elected official.
  This work takes all of us. That is why I am so grateful for this 
evening's speakers who are here with us tonight who will focus on our 
energy and the work that we have done during Gun Violence Prevention 
Awareness Month and hope that we can continue to encourage people to 
rededicate ourselves to the work of saving lives.
  I have never been more optimistic about the future of this movement, 
and that is because of the work that I am blessed and privileged to do 
with my colleagues in this Chamber. Together, truly, we are definitely 
making a difference.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse), our 
assistant Democratic leader.
  Mr. NEGUSE. Mr. Speaker, first, I thank my friends and Gun Violence 
Prevention Task Force leaders, Congresswoman Lucy McBath and 
Congressman   Mike Thompson, for convening us this evening. They both 
have been unwavering in their dedication to ending the scourge of gun 
violence in this country.
  I want to take a moment in particular to salute and applaud my friend 
Representative McBath, who, as you heard, Mr. Speaker, has shown a 
remarkable amount of courage, bravery, and tenacity in converting her 
anguish, unspeakable, unthinkable anguish, into action to save lives. 
We couldn't be more proud of her and the work that she has done since 
she first graced the Halls of this august body and made ending gun 
violence a priority of not just hers but of this House.
  Mr. Speaker, in a country where gun violence is the leading cause of 
death among children--I will repeat that just to let it sink in, gun 
violence is the leading cause of death among children in the United 
States--it comes as no surprise that, today, the Surgeon General 
declared that gun violence in America now constitutes a public health 
crisis.

                              {time}  2030

  My district, Mr. Speaker, has been acutely impacted by that crisis, 
by the pain of the gun violence epidemic.
  A gunman, 3 years ago, walked into a local grocery store in my 
community in Boulder, Colorado. He killed, murdered in cold blood, ten 
of our beloved community members, including a police officer, who made 
the ultimate sacrifice, saved lives, died in the line of duty. This 
tragedy and the shock waves that it has spurred across my State serve 
as a reminder of why we as a Congress cannot abandon our mission to end 
this epidemic.
  My community, Mr. Speaker, is not alone. From Uvalde to Buffalo, from

[[Page H4148]]

Parkland to Sandy Hook, to every corner of our country, there are 
communities just like ours with families devastated by the pain and 
anguish caused by gun violence and Members, as you have heard, of this 
very Chamber who have experienced devastating loss as a result of this 
epidemic. It is with those we have lost in our hearts and at the 
forefront of our minds that we remain committed to ensuring that we 
turn such anguish into action.
  As mentioned, Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago today, many of us joined 
President Biden at the White House. I remember going to the White House 
with my colleague Representative McBath, to celebrate the enactment of 
the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which Representative McBath, 
Representative Robin Kelly, Representative   Steven Horsford, so many 
of the leaders from whom will be heard from tonight, along with 
Representative Haley Stevens and others, have worked vociferously to 
get across the finish line. This bill is the most significant and 
consequential gun violence prevention legislation that we have seen in 
decades.
  Through this bill, we were able to enact improved and enhanced 
background checks, protect domestic violence survivors, expand 
community violence intervention programs, and support improved mental 
health services across the country. Mr. Speaker, we know that 
legislating works.
  I am here today with leaders, like Representative Kennedy of Buffalo, 
Representative Manning from North Carolina, Representative Stevens, and 
Representative McBath, and so many others to repeat the call that House 
Democrats have made time and time again, to say that we are ready to 
work in good faith with anyone to address what is clearly a pervasive 
problem across our country, to advance commonsense reforms that we know 
will save lives. It is time for our colleagues on the other side of the 
aisle, House Republicans, to do the same, to work with us because 
inaction is no longer an option.
  Again, I thank Representative McBath, Representative Thompson, and 
the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force for their work in addressing our 
most basic charge as Members of this body, which is to keep Americans 
safe.
  Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I thank Assistant Democratic Leader   Joe 
Neguse for his wonderful words.
  At this time, I yield to Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan.
  Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I thank this Chamber that affords the time 
for this special hour. It is a profound and deep honor to stand here 
with my friend, who I am also privileged to call one of my heroes, 
Congresswoman Lucy McBath, who I came into this very Chamber with as 
new freshmen, the class of 2018. Most of us never ever had run for 
office, and we took on a new House majority in a very challenging time 
for this country.
  I have seen her work day in and day out. It doesn't matter if it is 
Gun Violence Prevention Month. While I never got to meet her son, 
Jordan, and his fate is certainly why I know his mother, I know his 
soul, and I know his spirit because his mother has channeled it into 
good and into change and into togetherness for this Nation of ours.
  Mr. Speaker, I also stand here as a Representative of Michigan, and 
we are coming out of a very tough week in Oakland County. About 10 days 
ago, we had a shooting incident at a splash park on a Saturday, the day 
before Father's Day, with nine injured parents shielding their infant 
children, a grandfather, an 8-year-old shot in the head and still is in 
the hospital. This was followed by another horrific scene the next 
Saturday; an Oakland County deputy sheriff was shot while investigating 
a crime in Detroit.
  Time and time again, we see these incidences. We see these horrific 
mass shootings. I have, as a lawmaker and as a policymaker and someone 
who has stood by President Biden, who has stood by my colleagues on 
getting so much done, remain absolutely baffled by these statistics, by 
these events, that just seemingly and uniquely happen in a country 
where we refuse to change our laws, where we continue on this path of 
insanity.
  There is too much pain. There are too many mass shootings. I invite 
everyone to 2411, my office in Rayburn, outside of my office door, 
where I have the orange ribbon for every mass shooting that has 
happened this term in Congress. We are over 800.
  I remember calling Congressman Neguse when the mass shooting happened 
in his grocery store in his district. I remember the mass shooting in 
Buffalo and how personal that has felt. Again, another grocery store. 
We are arming hate in the United States of America, and we are arming 
insanity. Yes, those of us on this side of the aisle are talking about 
common sense, and we all have a responsibility to the next generation.
  Our first Generation Z Member of Congress, Maxwell Frost, has been 
carrying the torch of gun violence prevention through his activism work 
before he entered this very Chamber. When are we going to double down 
on passing commonsense gun safety legislation? When are we going to say 
that the right to bear arms is a privilege in the United States of 
America?
  Our U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, just proclaimed gun 
violence as a public health crisis, and that is what it is, at parties 
and in grocery stores and in houses of worship.
  We are in a grand competition on the global stage. I have been so 
honored this term to work on the U.S. House Select Committee on the 
Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese 
Communist Party. We need to look ourselves in the face, and we need to 
show that democracy works, and it works when we pass laws. It works 
when we regulate.

  It works when we institute training programs and check-ins and red 
flag laws and when our prosecutors prosecute, like our Oakland County 
prosecutor did in Oakland County, Michigan, the parents who don't 
utilize safe storage.
  Your right is a privilege, and our right to live freely, safely, and 
peacefully deeply matters, even outside of the month of June, where we 
say wear orange and stand for gun safety and gun violence prevention. 
This is something we can all rally around and do, just as we did 2 
years ago almost on this very day, when we passed a bipartisan gun 
safety law. That was a good start, but there is more to do because 
these mass shootings and these shooting deaths of innocent children and 
people continue to happen in the United States of America.
  Anyone who walks through the door to my office will see those orange 
ribbons and is invited into the conversation and the solution making 
that we need.
  Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague from 
Michigan, Ms. Stevens, for her comments.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to Kathy Manning of North Carolina.
  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, Representative Lucy 
McBath, for her courage and her persistence in taking a mother's 
unbearable pain following the loss of her son, Jordan, and turning that 
pain into a relentless effort to do everything possible to pass bills 
that will chip away at this terrible problem.
  Thankfully, 2 years ago, under President Biden's leadership, we 
helped pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It was historic 
legislation to address gun violence and keep weapons out of dangerous 
hands. It was a strong step forward, but we can, and we must do much, 
much more.
  Right now, guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens 
in the United States. Our Surgeon General just declared the gun 
violence in this country a public health crisis. We all know he is 
right because, every day, more than 100 Americans lose their lives to 
gun violence.
  As an active member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I have 
talked with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. I have 
presented the majority with a list of ten things we could consider 
doing together and asked Republican Members which of these things would 
my colleagues be willing to work with us on?
  One of my colleagues from North Carolina said to me: We don't have a 
gun problem. We have a mental health problem.
  Well, there are mental health problems in countries all over the 
world, but they do not have the same level of gun violence that we have 
because guns are not as widely available.
  In my own community, when I meet with local police officers, 
community leaders, parents, mental health professionals, and educators, 
they all tell me the same thing. We have got to do

[[Page H4149]]

more to stop this devastating scourge of gun violence. This is killing 
our children and our parents. It is robbing people of their loved ones 
and leaving families of victims devastated, with a grief and a gaping 
loss that can never be repaired.
  In my district, North Carolina's Sixth Congressional District, we 
lost one of our best, most dedicated law enforcement officers to gun 
violence in the past year. Sergeant Dale Nix, a real hero who devoted 
his life to helping victims of domestic violence. Our whole community 
continues to mourn his loss.
  As an active member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, I urge 
my colleagues to work with us on things that the vast majority of 
Americans agree on: Universal background checks, safe storage laws, 
community and violence intervention programs. We are ready to work with 
the majority. Please work with us to do the right thing for our 
children and our future.
  Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina 
for her comments.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to one of our newest Members of the Democratic 
Caucus, Mr. Tim Kennedy of New York.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives   Mike Thompson and 
Lucy McBath and Assistant Leader   Joe Neguse, along with the rest of 
the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force for organizing this important 
Special Order.
  I especially thank Representative McBath, not only for her 
leadership, but for sharing her extremely personal and heartbreaking 
story. It is inspiring to see Representative McBath turn her grief into 
action to help save lives in this country. I am honored to stand by her 
side.

                              {time}  2045

  Mr. Speaker, gun violence is an epidemic in our country, one that 
requires a national response.
  In May 2022, a racist, domestic terrorist opened fire in the Tops 
Supermarket on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo, in the heart of our 
community, stealing the lives of 10 innocent souls and severely 
wounding 3 others.
  Just last Friday, a beautiful 3-year-old boy, Ramone L. Carter, was 
riding his tricycle when he was struck and killed by a bullet. His 
older sister, Jamia Griffin, age 7, was also grazed and hospitalized. 
Our community has rallied around Ramone and Jamia's family, but we know 
that no amount of support can undo the pain and unspeakable anguish 
that they feel.
  That same day, in Fordyce, Alabama, a gunman opened fire with a 
shotgun at another grocery store, claiming the lives of four people and 
wounding nine, including two law enforcement officers.
  Grocery store patrons and employees being slaughtered. Children and 
toddlers being murdered. Police being shot. It cannot continue.
  This week, the U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence a public 
health crisis in America. It is the leading cause of death among 
children and adolescents.
  The common thread here is clear: guns and the ease with which they 
can be attained.
  We can stop this. We can choose another path.
  In New York, following the Sandy Hook and Tops Supermarket shootings, 
we acted. We put in place strong red flag laws and banned high-capacity 
magazines and assault rifles. We made it possible to sue gun 
manufacturers for the damage caused by the weapons they produce that 
flood our streets. We created new grant programs for law enforcement to 
implement problem-oriented policing, using tactics like hot spots 
policing, street outreach, and crime prevention through environmental 
design, all adding up to a more targeted and effective approach to 
preventing gun violence.
  To address mental health's role in gun violence, we made a record $1 
billion investment in mental health services.
  These actions work.
  As of this month, police departments participating in the State's Gun 
Involved Violence Elimination initiative saw a 28 percent decrease in 
shooting incidents resulting in injuries in the first 5 months of the 
year, but those laws won't save lives across our country. They won't 
stop guns from coming into New York.
  We need Congress to act. At a time when we have the Supreme Court 
nitpicking whether a gun with a bump stock is a machine gun, like the 
one used in Las Vegas to shoot 90 rounds in 10 seconds, we need 
Congress to act.
  When you can't send your kid to school, your loved one to the grocery 
store, or simply sit outside without fear of gun violence, we need 
Congress to act.
  That means universal background checks, reinstating the assault 
weapons ban, banning bump stocks, military-grade body armor, and high-
capacity magazines.
  Repealing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which gives 
near-blanket civil suit immunity to gun manufacturers. And, yes, 
robustly funding mental health resources.
  Nobody is coming after the Second Amendment. We are simply trying to 
save our kids' lives.
  As a parent and as a community member who has been to far too many 
funerals due to gun violence, I implore my colleagues to work with us 
to pass these policies and make this country safer.
  Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their commitment 
to their communities and for the safety of this Nation. I yield back 
the balance of my time.

                          ____________________