[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9776]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING THE LIVES LOST IN THE SHOOTING RAMPAGE AT SANTA MONICA

  (Mr. WAXMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WAXMAN. Madam Speaker, today I rise to commemorate the lives lost 
in the tragic shooting rampage on the streets of Santa Monica and at 
Santa Monica College. On June 7, Samir Zawahri, Chris Zawahri, Marcela 
Franco, Carlos Navarro Franco, and Margarita Gomez lost their lives. We 
take a moment to honor them, and make a promise that we will remember 
them.
  I want to express my condolences to the victims' families. Your 
losses are Los Angeles' losses, and we grieve with you.
  There were many wounded, and we send our best wishes for a full and 
speedy recovery.
  I also rise to commend the heroic actions of our first responders. 
Without their fearless response, many more lives could have been lost. 
We thank these first responders who arrived on the scene and bravely 
protected us all. Our Nation expresses its gratitude.
  We are losing too many of our fellow citizens to gun violence. We 
must stop this cycle. My colleagues in Congress must come together to 
enact commonsense reforms, including comprehensive background checks. 
We must address the mental health needs of our community.
  We cannot allow the tragedy that occurred in Santa Monica to be 
repeated. The lives lost in Santa Monica cannot just be another 
statistic. They must inspire us to make our community and our Nation 
safer and more secure for everyone.

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