[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 7901]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HOW MANY MORE CHILDREN HAVE TO DIE?

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Speier) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, it has now been almost 6 months since the 
tragedy of Newtown. The American response to that tragedy was quick and 
overwhelming. And yet, we have done nothing to prevent such a tragedy 
from happening again.
  In fact, many of my colleagues here in this institution seem all too 
ready to forget Newtown and the gun violence epidemic that is 
devastating families and communities across our country every single 
day.
  According to Slate's gun-death tracker, an estimated 4,620 people 
have died as a result of gun violence in America since Newtown--4,620 
people.
  In 12 U.S. States, gun deaths now outpace auto deaths.
  A new analysis from the Violence Policy Center found that in 2010, 
there were 31,672 firearm deaths and 35,498 motor vehicle deaths, 
compared with 1999, when there were 28,000 firearm deaths and 42,000 
motor vehicle deaths, which is startling considering more than 90 
percent of the American households own a car while less than one-third 
of American households own a gun.
  We require auto manufacturers to include safety features like 
seatbelts and airbags, and to pass crash safety tests, and lives are 
being saved as a result.
  By 2015, gun deaths will outnumber auto deaths on a national scale. 
Think about that. More gun deaths than auto deaths, and we require all 
these precautions and restrictions on manufacturers to make sure our 
cars are safe and we do nothing--nothing--when it comes to gun 
manufacturers. Think about that. Mandatory safety measures, and auto 
manufacturers can be held liable for defects in their products. We 
expect cars to be built safely, but when it comes to guns, a product 
designed to kill, manufacturers have been given a free pass. They can't 
be held liable for the deaths and destruction their products may cause. 
We don't even require gun manufacturers to make guns child-safe.
  How many more children have to die as a result of senseless gun 
violence and avoidable gun accidents? New York Times columnist Joe 
Nocera is producing a weekly ``Gun Report'' that compiles gun deaths 
and injuries from around the country. I'm going to read a few of the 
recent posts since Newtown that deal specifically with children.
  A 2-year-old boy is dead after an accidental self-inflicted gunshot 
wound. Trenton Mathis shot himself in the face with a 9-millimeter 
pistol in a house in Cherokee County, Texas, while at home with his 
great-grandmother.
  A 6-year-old girl was shot in the leg by her father during a 
boisterous party in Federal Heights, Colorado.
  Joshua Johnson, 4, was playing with a gun at a Memphis apartment 
complex when it went off. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
  A Garland, Texas, toddler was fatally shot in his home in what police 
are calling a tragic accident. Three-year-old John O'Brien was shot in 
the head with a handgun in front of his mother, father, and two young 
sisters. He was taken to Children's Medical Center in Dallas, where he 
later died from his injuries.
  The 4-year-old son of a Jackson County, Michigan, sheriff's deputy 
accidentally shot and killed himself. Authorities say it happened 
around 5 p.m. in the deputy's home.
  Michael Easter, a 3-year-old boy in Liberty Township, Michigan, died 
after he accidentally shot himself in the head while alone in his 
parents' bedroom. Police are unsure how the boy gained access to the 
gun. Michael was home with his mother and two sisters at the time.
  A 3-year-old toddler accidentally shot himself in the head with a 
relative's gun but was listed in stable condition at a Nashville, 
Tennessee, hospital.
  A teen boy accidentally shot and killed his 12-year-old brother in 
Orlando, Florida. The shooting happened at home in the Lake Nona area. 
Investigators said they are working to determine what led to the 
shooting.
  A dad accidentally shot his son dead as he cleaned his gun in the 
family's living room. Christopher Stanlane, 34, was wiping down a 
loaded weapon in his home in Fairmont, North Carolina, when it 
discharged. His 10-year-old son, Christopher Stanlane, Jr., was 
watching television, and was struck in the back of his head with a 
bullet. His 8-year-old daughter was also in the room. The boy was 
pronounced dead at the scene.
  How many more children have to die before Congress acts?

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