[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 18658-18659]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING THE NEWTOWN TRAGEDY

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, this Saturday will mark 1 year since one 
of the most horrific tragedies in our nation's history: the murder of 
26 innocents at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT on December 
14, 2012. All of us remember the shock we felt when we heard the news 
reports. Twenty first graders--only 6 or 7 years old--were gunned down 
in their classrooms, and six educators were killed while trying to 
protect their students from harm.
  The events of that day were heartbreaking. As we come upon the grim 
1-year anniversary of that event, our thoughts and our prayers are with 
the families and friends of the victims. Many of them stood in a nearby 
firehouse on that day waiting for first responders to bring them any 
word about their loved ones in the school. One by one, the first 
responders brought down children and teachers to the firehouse to 
reunite them with their families--until the families of the victims 
were the only ones left. Then it became clear that no more would be 
coming.
  These families have suffered immensely. But in the face of their 
grief and loss, they have shown incredible strength and courage. They 
have supported one another with a strong sense of community and faith, 
and they have dedicated themselves to the cause of sparing other 
families what they have gone through.
  I have met with many of these families over the past year. They have 
come to meet with Members of Congress, and with lawmakers in many 
States, to share their ideas for how to reduce the devastating toll of 
gun violence. I salute them for their courage, and I thank them for 
standing up on behalf of so many families across America who have lost 
a loved one to gunfire.
  Over 11,000 Americans are murdered with guns each year. If we count 
suicides and accidental shootings, the death toll from guns rises to 
more than 31,000 Americans each year. This epidemic of gun violence is 
unacceptable. We cannot simply shrug our shoulders and write off these 
shootings as the cost of living in America.

[[Page 18659]]

  In my home State of Illinois, I have met too many grieving mothers 
who have lost their children to senseless gun violence--mothers such 
as: Annette Nance-Holt, who lost her son Blair in the crossfire of a 
gang shooting; Mary Kay Mace, whose daughter Ryanne was killed in her 
classroom at Northern Illinois University; Pam Bosley, whose son 
Terrell was shot and killed outside of church; and Cleo Pendleton, 
whose daughter Hadiya was gunned down at a bus stop where she was 
seeking shelter from the rain.
  I do not want to go to another funeral for a police officer like 
Chicago Police Officer Thomas Wortham IV, who was killed by gang 
members with a straw-purchased gun. I do not want to hear about any 
more killers who couldn't pass a background check but still were able 
to buy guns through a private sale--such as the man who murdered Ricky 
Byrdsong, the former Northwestern University basketball coach, in 
Skokie, IL.
  We need to take proactive steps, consistent with the Constitution and 
the Second Amendment, to stop these situations from happening. We need 
to reduce this high number of violent shootings. We can do this by 
working for better gun safety laws--laws that will spare other families 
what these families have gone through. No matter how long it may take, 
no matter how challenging the road may seem, this is a goal worth 
fighting for.
  We have seen some positive steps forward when it comes to gun safety 
in the past year. For the first time ever, the Senate confirmed a 
director to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and 
Explosives. We have seen an end to the federal funding restrictions on 
research into the causes of gun violence. We have seen significant 
growth in crime gun tracing, especially with the eTrace program that 
has helped catch criminals and gun traffickers in Illinois and 
nationwide, and important new gun safety laws have passed in States 
such as California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New 
York, and my home State of Illinois, where universal background checks 
and mandatory reporting of lost and stolen guns are now the law.
  We know that more needs to be done. Earlier this year, we failed to 
get the 60 Senate votes we need to ensure that a criminal background 
check is conducted on every gun sale. The Senate also fell a few votes 
short when it comes to toughening our laws against straw purchasing and 
illegal gun trafficking. Of course, the House of Representatives has 
not even tried to pass legislation to reduce gun violence.
  I know it is frustrating to many Americans when Congress fails to act 
on commonsense steps such as these. It is frustrating for me too, but I 
am not giving up. The goal of reducing gun deaths in America is worth 
fighting for. We may not have the votes we need in Congress today, but 
if the American people speak out and work hard for commonsense reform, 
we will achieve it.
  I salute my colleagues in both parties who have worked hard this past 
year to push for commonsense gun safety laws especially the Senators 
from Connecticut, Senators Blumenthal and Murphy, who have become such 
admirable leaders on this issue. I also commend Senators Manchin and 
Toomey, who have crafted a balanced background check bill to make sure 
that we aren't selling guns to criminals; and Senators Leahy, Kirk, 
Collins and Gillibrand, who have worked with me on a bill to crack down 
on the straw purchasers and gun traffickers who supply criminals with 
weapons.
  The votes haven't been there yet, but we will keep at it. It may not 
happen right away, but we are in this for the long haul. The families 
from Newtown are going to keep working for these reforms, and so must 
we. I am confident that working together, we will pass commonsense 
reforms that save lives.

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