[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 MARKING 15 YEARS SINCE TUCSON SHOOTING

  (Mr. JEFFRIES asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Madam Speaker, Madam Speaker Emerita, Senator Mark 
Kelly, the Arizona delegation, and to all of my colleagues who are 
present here today, I rise on the 15th anniversary of the tragic mass 
shooting in Tucson, Arizona, that took 6 lives and injured 13 others, 
including our former colleague, our good friend, Congresswoman Gabby 
Giffords, an extraordinary American leader who I am pleased to say is 
here with us in the Chamber today.
  At 10:10 a.m. mountain standard time, in Tucson, Arizona, during a 
Congress on Your Corner event being held by Representative Gabby 
Giffords to serve her constituents, a gunman opened fire on this 
peaceful gathering.
  We mourn for those whose lives were lost on that fateful day: John 
Roll, a Federal judge and public servant; Gabe Zimmerman, a dedicated 
congressional staffer; a precious 9-year-old girl named Christina-
Taylor Green; and beloved community members Dorothy ``Dot'' Morris, 
Phyllis Schneck, and Dorwan Stoddard.

                              {time}  1210

  At the same time, we are thankful to God for the survival, the 
resilience, the courage, the strength, the persistence of Congresswoman 
Giffords and all those who survived on that fateful day.
  Prior to this assassination attempt, Congresswoman Giffords served 
this body and the people of Arizona's Eighth District with great 
distinction, dedication, and determination. Her policy interests were 
diverse, spanning from immigration reform, economic opportunity, and 
promoting solar and clean energy.
  After experiencing firsthand, in the most horrific fashion possible, 
the horror of a mass shooting, she refocused her efforts on ending the 
gun violence epidemic in America once and for all. We honor her and 
celebrate her for the transformational work that she has done in the 
years that have followed.
  House Democrats stand with Gabby and with all Americans who say 
enough is enough.
  Enough with the gun violence epidemic being the leading cause of 
death for the children in this country.
  Enough with mass shootings being as frequent as the common cold.
  Enough with the text messages to parents saying ``I love you'' 
because there is another active school shooter.
  Enough with the mass-casualty incidents at concerts, grocery stores, 
movie theatres, nightclubs, churches, mosques, synagogues, and other 
gathering places.
  Enough with weapons of war flooding our communities, while merchants 
of death rake in record profits.
  Enough unnecessary loss of life due to preventable, senseless gun 
violence.
  This is the cause to which Congresswoman Giffords has now dedicated 
her life, and we all join her in proclaiming enough is enough.
  It is time to end the gun violence epidemic in America once and for 
all.
  While the challenges to address this crisis may feel insurmountable 
at times, we cannot and will not give up hope, inspired by the 
perseverance of our dear leader, Congresswoman Giffords.
  I am heartened by the work that has been done despite the 
considerable forces that have been arrayed against us.
  That progress includes, under the leadership of then-Speaker Nancy 
Pelosi, passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in 2022, which 
represented the strongest new Federal gun safety legislation in 30 
years.
  Our job, of course, as Gabby makes clear, is far from finished. Every 
day an average of 327 people are shot in this country, including 23 
children shot on average every day. Over 65 million Americans say at 
least one person in their family has been fatally shot, their lives 
extinguished by gun violence in this country. There are 393 million 
guns in the United States of America, more guns than people, and law 
enforcement can't tell you where a majority of those guns are because 
of barriers that have been erected keeping criminals protected.
  It does not have to be this way. We know there are commonsense 
solutions to stop the gun violence and keep the American people safe.
  We can start by closing the gun background loophole that allows 
dangerous people to buy firearms without background checks.
  We need to ban assault weapons in the United States of America to 
prevent these weapons of war from continuing to destroy the lives of 
everyday Americans.
  Led by our distinguished appropriators like Rosa DeLauro, we are 
continuing to fight for robust funding for community violence 
intervention programs and appropriate funding for the ATF and gun 
violence research. Breaking the devastating cycle of gun violence that 
has a choke hold on this country is one of our Caucus' highest 
priorities and will be a high-priority issue when we take back control 
of the majority after the November election.
  Democrats are continuing to maintain our commitment to keep everyday 
Americans safe from the scourge of gun violence, and we will not stop 
fighting for proven policies that we know will reduce gun violence in 
every community throughout our Nation.
  I encourage my colleagues to support the resolution introduced by 
Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz to commemorate the tragic event 
that occurred on January 8, 2011.
  I once again thank our colleague, our fearless leader, our 
distinguished champion, Congresswoman Giffords, for her presence here 
today on this solemn anniversary and for her tireless, matchless, 
incredible advocacy to end the scourge of gun violence in the United 
States of America once and for all.
  I now ask everyone in the Chamber to stand, and for everyone 
throughout the campus to join us in a moment of silence to commemorate 
the lives lost and the lives forever changed by the tragic shooting 
that occurred on January 8, 2011.

                          ____________________