[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 96 (Thursday, June 5, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H2495-H2496]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 OBSERVING GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mrs. SYKES asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. SYKES. Mr. Speaker, gun violence is a scourge that has plagued 
the United States for far too long. We have witnessed tragedy after 
tragedy, and the only thing that ever seems to happen is that gun 
restrictions are loosened even further.
  Six years ago, in my home State of Ohio, there was a mass shooting at 
a bar in Dayton. Nearly 30 people were injured, and 10 were killed by a 
man with a gun that he was able to legally modify through loopholes in 
our gun laws.

[[Page H2496]]

  Hundreds of people attended a vigil for the victims of this deadly 
attack and demanded we do something. In response, the Governor of Ohio 
signed permitless carry legislation, allowing individuals to carry 
concealed firearms without a permit.
  Last year, 25-year-old Megan Keleman, a young woman in my district, 
was shot and killed in a Taco Bell drive-through. She was picking up 
dinner for her family.
  Why did Megan Keleman have to die that day? The system failed her. 
The killer should have never had a gun.
  Again, why did Megan Keleman have to die that day? She didn't.
  Maybe if there were less cowardly people in office, Megan would be 
alive, living out her path to serve and help other people. Her family 
is working to make sure that there is change and to secure her legacy.
  We have a duty as public servants to keep our communities safe, but 
the inaction on gun violence is killing innocent Americans. We can and 
must pass commonsense gun safety legislation to bolster background 
checks and ban dangerous assault weapons.
  The people of Ohio's 13th Congressional District sent me here to do 
something about gun violence in our communities, and that is exactly 
what I intend to do.
  This is Gun Violence Awareness Month. This month, and every other 
day, I mourn the lives of the countless people who have lost their 
lives to senseless gun violence and those whom they have left behind.

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