[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 114 (Wednesday, July 10, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4533-H4534]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         COMBATING GUN VIOLENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Ms. Tlaib) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, how many times do we have to come to the 
floor to demand that our colleagues take action to end the gun violence 
crisis that is traumatizing our children and tearing families apart?
  Since Republicans took power, the Speaker has called not one single 
vote, not one, to combat gun violence. It is shameful. It is shameful 
because since then, 934 mass shootings have occurred in our country.
  Just this past weekend, Mr. Speaker, in the northeast side of our 
city, there was a mass shooting where 2 people were killed and 19 
others severely injured. The victims were all between the ages of 17 
and 27 years old.
  I refuse to accept this as normal or the status quo. I refuse to 
accept that last month, there was a mass shooting at a Splash Pad with 
families in Rochester Hills, Michigan, where nine people were shot, 
including two children, that that is okay, that it is normal.
  Behind these numbers are real people in our communities, families who 
are directly, forever being impacted and traumatized by these senseless 
shootings.
  Firearms are now the leading cause of death for children and teens in 
our country. It is not just mass shootings. Mr. Speaker, 4.6 million 
children in our country live in homes with loaded and unlocked 
firearms.
  There is a Children's Hospital in Detroit that passes out lockboxes.
  Recently, a 6-year-old boy in Detroit shot himself in the hand at his 
grandmother's home after he found an unsecured firearm. He was playing 
with it and accidentally pulled the trigger. He is just one of nearly 
360 children who unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else every 
single year.
  This cable lock right here, which prevents a gun from being loaded 
and fired, is $10. I looked it up. That is why I introduced the Safe 
Storage Saves Lives Act to require gun locks like this one to be 
provided for every firearm sold in our country. This is a commonsense 
solution to save lives, to prevent these horrific accidental shootings, 
and even prevent suicides among our children.
  It is time for Congress to act with urgency, Mr. Speaker, and pass 
legislation to save lives now.


                            Abortion Rights

  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, it has been 2 years since the corrupt, far-
right Supreme Court gutted Roe v. Wade and stripped us of our 
reproductive freedom.
  There are now 21 States with an abortion ban in effect. Currently, 
one in three women are living without access to abortion care.
  I want you to think about this: Our bodies are now being regulated 
more than guns in our country. It is disgusting. They have not only 
targeted abortion but also undermined access to IVF, birth control, and 
family planning.
  Thankfully, I know in our State, Michiganders have soundly rejected 
the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe and voted to enshrine 
abortion rights and abortion care into our State constitution.
  MAGA extremists are not going to stop. They won't stop. They are 
pushing for a national abortion ban at the Federal level.
  Abortion care is healthcare, and we must fight back and pass 
legislation that restores access.
  People, Mr. Speaker, not politicians, should have the freedom to make 
decisions about their own bodies. We won't stop until we make 
reproductive freedom for all the law of the land and accessible to all 
our residents across our country.


                            livonia tornado

  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, last month, a tornado swept through my 
district with little to no warning. It tragically took the life of a 3-
year-old child named Cooper Drake and left his mother in critical 
condition after a tree fell on their Livonia home during the storm.
  It is absolutely devastating that a family should experience this 
heartbreak. Our community is heartbroken.
  That is why my Michigan colleagues, Congresswoman Haley Stevens, and 
really led by Congresswoman Debbie

[[Page H4534]]

Dingell, sent a letter--we did it together--to the National Weather 
Service seeking answers, asking them to provide insight into why no 
tornado warning was issued for our residents.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot normalize these severe weather patterns and 
the devastating impacts they have on our families. It is clear that 
these extreme weather events, including tornadoes and flooding in 
southeast Michigan, are becoming more frequent due to climate change. 
We also need to understand the root cause of these extreme weather 
patterns.
  That is why I am hoping we can all work together to hold corporate 
polluters accountable and protect our planet from the impact of the 
fossil fuel industry for generations to come.

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