[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17291]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 A CALL FOR ACTION AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE

  (Mr. PAYNE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise first to offer my deepest condolences 
to the families of the victims in the recent Sandy Hook Elementary 
tragedy. In addition, I add my voice to the outcry of my colleagues, 
constituents, and Americans around the Nation to call for action 
against gun violence in this country. This Connecticut tragedy was the 
30th mass murder in the U.S. since the 1999 Columbine incident, but 
mass murders only represent a small portion of the gun violence in 
America. In my hometown of Newark, New Jersey, 348 shootings and 93 
deaths occurred last year as a result of gun violence.
  Unfortunately, it is too late to save these victims, but it is not 
too late to prevent the next attack. With stricter gun laws and the ban 
on certain types of guns, specifically assault weapons, carnage clips, 
and armor-piercing bullets, it would undoubtedly help to save lives. 
Now is the time for action.

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