[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[House]
[Pages 17286-17287]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SHOOTING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Ms. Fudge) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FUDGE. Madam Speaker, it is with great sorrow that I rise today 
to address the senseless murders that took place in Newtown, 
Connecticut, this past Friday. Mass shootings are always difficult to 
bear. This one is exceptionally disturbing due to the loss of so many 
children and those who bravely tried to protect them.
  The massacre that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School will 
forever be embedded in our memory, as will the photos of 20 children as 
young as 5 years of age who perished in that school, a place that 
should be safe, a school. These innocent children will never have the 
opportunity to enjoy their teenage years, to go to a prom, or have 
families of their own. We owe a debt of gratitude to the teachers who 
lost their lives trying to shield our children from this senseless 
crime.
  I stand here today unable to make sense of what is a completely 
incomprehensible situation. We may never know what compelled the 
shooter in this tragedy to use such high-powered weapons to inflict 
pain on so many innocent people, but what we do know is that these 
kinds of crimes are on the rise in our society.
  Gun violence, and the culture associated with it, has become so 
prevalent that now our babies can't even go to school without fear of 
being gunned down in their classrooms. We've seen this kind of violence 
on a college campus in Blacksburg, at a high school in Columbine, and 
now at an elementary school in Newtown.
  Since 1982 there have been more than 60 mass murders carried out with 
firearms across this country. In the last 5 years alone we have had 19 
mass shootings. That's a rate of more than one every 4 months. These 
are alarming numbers, and we as a Nation must be willing to do 
something about it.
  There have been calls by some for meaningful action, but I implore my 
colleagues that what we really need is immediate action. The issue of 
eradicating gun violence is ripe, and we must act now.

[[Page 17287]]

  The first thing we must do is ban assault weapons of all types. Their 
only purpose is to kill the largest amount of people in the shortest 
amount of time. Tragically, the Newtown shooter used a military-style 
weapon to perform his evil deeds.

                              {time}  1040

  Weapons with the ability to carry out such deadly force do not belong 
on our streets. I challenge anyone to justify the use of these weapons 
anywhere but on the battlefield for which they were designed.
  Proponents of gun rights say that there is an absolute right to bear 
arms. I disagree. All rights are subject to reasonable restrictions. 
But what is absolute is that I have a right to leave my home without 
being shot. People have the right to worship their God without being 
massacred. The children of Sandy Hook Elementary had an absolute right 
to go to school without being gunned down. No one sends their child to 
school expecting that they won't come home.
  I understand there are many factors that contribute to these 
unforgivable acts of violence, but we must start somewhere. It is time 
for us to have a serious and deliberate conversation about a 
comprehensive national gun policy that eliminates loopholes in the laws 
and requires uniform background checks. Enforcing current laws is not 
getting the job done. We must do more to ensure that our citizens feel 
safe and secure in their homes, schools, movie theaters, shopping 
malls, and neighborhoods. We cannot wait for another Tucson, Aurora, 
Oak Creek, or Newtown massacre. We must take action now.
  I ask my colleagues, where do you stand? Whose side are you on? I'm 
on the side of every man, woman, and child killed in senseless 
violence. Who in this House can be against commonsense gun safety 
regulations? Anyone who is is on the wrong side.

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