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




                                NEWTOWN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE of California. Madam Speaker, our hearts are grieving with 
the entire Newtown community and all the families who lost loved ones 
last Friday. We mourn the 26 innocent lives, including those 20 
children who have been lost in this unimaginable tragedy. Let me also 
just acknowledge the quick action of the brave law enforcement and 
first responders who prevented additional losses of life.
  Words cannot express my deep sorrow, but as a mother and as a 
grandmother I join the country and my district in extending my 
condolences to every family and the entire community touched by this 
unspeakable tragedy.
  This violence must stop. As President Obama so eloquently said on 
Sunday, we cannot accept that this violence visited on children year 
after year is somehow the price of freedom. No more excuses, Madam 
Speaker. No more kicking the can down the road. Not one more innocent 
life--not one more in Chicago, not one more in Oakland, not one more in 
any town, in any city, in any school, in any theater, or in any place 
of worship, in any mall, or in any of our neighborhoods. We have an 
obligation to our children to ensure that Newtown marks a turning point 
that made us finally say, enough is enough.
  My district, unfortunately, knows these weapons of war oh so well, 
where too many innocent children continue to be killed in these war 
zones. We must come together to build an America where our children do 
not have to live in fear and where they do have a future.
  Madam Speaker, we need to take some serious action that includes gun 
safety by banning these high-capacity magazines, expanding the 24-hour 
gun background check, closing the gun show loophole, and reinstituting 
the assault weapons ban immediately. This of course includes ending 
violence in our homes, in our streets, and in our communities.
  By seeking input from young people, community stakeholders, the faith 
community and others, we need to work together to identify the root 
causes of this country's more than 16,000 homicides a year--this also 
includes recognizing gun violence as a critical public health crisis--
and continue to support comprehensive violence prevention plans.
  I've heard many say this over and over again, but we also must focus 
on making mental health care widely accessible and affordable. As a 
psychiatric social worker and someone who founded a community mental 
health center when the psychiatric facilities were beginning to shut 
down, I understand firsthand why we need to look at how we have to help 
people struggling with mental illness and make serious progress in 
treatment and reduce the stigma associated with seeking help.
  All of this of course is going to take resources. Nowhere do we know 
this more than in my own congressional district in Alameda County and 
in Oakland, where we know all too well the impact of budget cuts on 
violence and crime. We cannot allow any cuts to Medicare and Medicaid 
that might prevent families from getting the psychiatric help and 
support that they need. How else can we look at our children and our 
grandchildren this holiday season if we don't move as a Nation to 
finally address this violence that threatens the very core of our 
country?
  In the coming weeks, all of us must work with President Obama, 
Senator Feinstein, Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy, Congressman Bobby 
Scott and all of our colleagues to be brave and to be bold enough to 
pass measures that ensure gun safety and a comprehensive solution to 
ensure that our children have a future in a peaceful Nation.
  Madam Speaker, we can and we must do all of these things and more so 
that we can prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again.
  On behalf of all my constituents, let me express once again our 
thoughts and our prayers for all of those impacted by this tragedy in 
Newtown and the entire State of Connecticut.

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