[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9773-9775]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1300
         CONDEMNING THE MASS SHOOTING IN ISLA VISTA, CALIFORNIA

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 608) condemning the senseless rampage and mass 
shooting that took place in Isla Vista, California, on Friday, May 23, 
2014, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 608

       Whereas on May 23, 2014, a rampage and mass shooting took 
     place in Isla Vista, California, a community adjacent to the 
     University of California at Santa Barbara;
       Whereas the people of the United States mourn the 6 
     innocent lives lost in this senseless tragedy, George Chen, 
     19, Katherine Breann Cooper, 22, Cheng ``James'' Yuan Hong, 
     20, Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez, 20, Weihan ``David'' 
     Wang, 20, Veronika Weiss, 19, all of whom were students at 
     the University of California, Santa Barbara;
       Whereas the people of the United States offer support to 
     all the victims and their families, and wish the 13 injured 
     full and speedy recoveries;
       Whereas the brave response of law enforcement officials and 
     other first responders prevented additional losses of life 
     and further injury; and
       Whereas the people of the United States call for a 
     reduction of violence, deplore mass shootings and stand with 
     the survivors: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) condemns the senseless rampage and mass shooting that 
     took place in Isla Vista, California, on May 23, 2014;
       (2) offers condolences to the entire Isla Vista community 
     and the University of California, Santa Barbara community, as 
     well as their families;
       (3) recognizes that the healing process will be long and 
     difficult for the Isla Vista and Santa Barbara communities;
       (4) encourages a productive and thoughtful dialogue on all 
     aspects of this senseless tragedy;
       (5) honors the selfless, dedicated service of the law 
     enforcement officials and emergency response personnel who 
     responded to the attack, preventing further loss of life and 
     injury, and who continue to investigate the attack; and
       (6) remains committed to working to help prevent tragedies 
     like this from happening again.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Issa) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  As many of us know, on May 23, 2014, a mass shooting took place in 
Isla Vista, California, a community adjacent to the University of 
California, Santa Barbara campus.
  The people of the United States will continue to mourn the loss of 
six innocent victims and students of the University of California, 
Santa Barbara. Each of these students excelled in school and were 
looking forward to bright futures.
  We will continue to remember the victims: George Chen, 19; Katherine 
Breann Cooper, 22; Cheng ``James'' Yuan Hong, 20; Christopher Ross 
Michaels-Martinez, 20; Weihan ``David'' Wang, 20; and Veronika Weiss, 
19.
  Americans everywhere continue to extend their support and sympathy to 
the victims, their families, and loved ones, and we wish each of the 13 
people injured in the shooting a full and speedy recovery.
  I would also like to commend the law enforcement officers and other 
first responders for their courage, bravery, and dedication to service. 
Their efforts helped to prevent further fatalities and injuries, and we 
remain extremely grateful to each of them.
  I urge support of this measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H. Res. 608, introduced by Congresswoman Lois 
Capps, which is a bipartisan resolution to offer condolences to the 
Isla Vista and University of California, Santa Barbara communities, to 
mourn the victims and offer support to their families.
  It condemns the senseless rampage and urges a dialogue on ``the 
Nation's mental health care system, anger, firearms laws, harmful 
attitudes towards women.''
  The resolution honors law enforcement and emergency personnel for 
their response to the attack and continues the commitment of ``working 
to help prevent tragedies like this from happening again.''
  The rampage and mass shooting that left six UC Santa Barbara students 
dead and 13 others injured in Isla Vista on May 23 was perpetrated by a 
deeply troubled man, with violent tendencies, who planned for months to 
kill as many as he could before the tragic day unfolded.
  Despite warnings from his parents to police and a subsequent law 
enforcement check a few weeks before the murders, Elliot Rodger was 
able to cleverly ward off police by passing off the warnings as a 
``misunderstanding.''
  Police said, later, that Rodger did not meet the criteria for an 
involuntary hold. He legally purchased more than 400 rounds of 
ammunition and three semiautomatic pistols over the course of months 
before his rampage.
  In the months leading up to the shooting, Elliot Rodger posted 
numerous videos and comments on social media sites detailing his 
frustrations with women and his hatred of them.
  He made such comments as:

       My orchestration of the day of retribution is my attempt to 
     do everything in my power to destroy everything I cannot 
     have. All of those beautiful girls I've desired so much in my 
     life, but can never have because they despise and loathe me, 
     I will destroy.

  He said he would also eliminate the men who had better luck with 
women than he did.
  Rodger, distressingly, joins a long list of mass killers that have 
haunted this country in recent years at grim

[[Page 9774]]

scenes, including Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech, Aurora, Tucson, a Walmart 
in Las Vegas, and now in Oregon, just minutes ago.
  Rodger shares three common denominators with these other mass 
murderers: easy access to guns, a history of mental illness, and clear 
warning signs that he wanted to carry out violent acts. Together, the 
five lone killers left a staggering 82 people dead and 114 others 
injured and scarred.
  The Sandy Hook killer had serious mental health issues. The man who 
shot Representative Gabby Giffords had dropped out of school after his 
college required a mental health evaluation.
  The Virginia Tech killer had been investigated by the university for 
stalking and had been declared mentally ill by a Virginia special 
justice. The Isla Vista shooter also had a long history of mental 
illness.
  What is it going to take, colleagues?
  Like many other mass shooters, he showed clear signs that he was 
extremely dangerous and planned to kill, but these five massacres are 
only a fraction of the mass shootings Americans have endured in a short 
span.
  Between January 2009 and September 2013, there were 93 mass 
shootings--almost two per month--that occurred in 35 States, in a 
nearly 5-year period.
  Is the problem too many guns? Is it mental health? Is it guns in the 
wrong hands?
  The answer to all these questions is yes. We know what needs to be 
done. We may not agree on every solution to reduce gun violence, but 
Americans, outraged by our inability to get anything done on this 
issue, are waiting for us to come to our senses and to act.
  The threshold for taking someone against their will for psychiatric 
evaluation needs to be reviewed. Police need better mental health 
training. It must become easier to intervene when there are risks.
  The prevailing majority of individuals with a mental health problem 
aren't violent, but we should have the tools to respond to the smaller 
number who show clear violent tendencies and evidence that they are 
preparing to act on it.
  Richard Martinez, the father of slain 20-year-old Christopher 
Michaels-Martinez, tearfully pleaded for people to stop feeling sorry 
for him after the massacre. His words ring in my ear all the time:

       I don't care about your sympathy. I'm going to ask every 
     person I can find to send a postcard to every politician they 
     think of with 3 words on it: not one more.
       People are looking for something to do. I'm asking people 
     to stand up for something. Enough is enough.

  One more mass killing is too many, and Congress is culpable for not 
taking action. We say never again, but it sounds like an empty promise 
because we do nothing.
  I thank Congresswoman Capps for offering this thoughtful and 
important resolution. We need to do so much more, and her bringing this 
resolution to our attention gives us the opportunity to draw together 
and, hopefully, to come up with something to do.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentlelady from California (Mrs. Capps), my colleague and the author of 
the bill.
  Mrs. CAPPS. I thank my colleague for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution to remember those 
who lost their lives and to recognize those who were injured on May 23 
in my district in California. The rampage and mass shooting in Isla 
Vista rocked this small beachside community.
  Again, we mourn those lost--George Chen, ``James'' Yuan Hong, Weihan 
``David'' Wang, Katherine Breann Cooper, Christopher Ross Michaels-
Martinez, and Veronika Weiss--and we support the injured as they heal.
  Our community grieves, but Isla Vista is a special place and one that 
has come together since the tragedy to emerge stronger. We can learn 
from their strength.
  Unfortunately, Isla Vista joins a long list of those who have grieved 
because of mass shootings. Even in the 18 days since this incident, 
more communities have joined the list of those who mourn: Seattle, 
Chicago, Norfolk, and Las Vegas.
  As the father of one of the victims implored:

       Enough is enough. Not one more.

  That is on my wristband. We must not let the attention fade. We must 
not let the drumbeat fall silent. Congress has the power to act, and we 
must.
  The rampage and shooting that rocked my hometown was, sadly, just one 
of many incidents that occur across the Nation.
  It is wrong to think we can do nothing to stop this carnage. It is 
factually wrong, and it is morally wrong. It is simply not a reflection 
of who we are--who Americans are--as a people.
  Americans do not simply give up on hard problems. We work together to 
find consensus, even though these are thorny, difficult issues.
  Greater gun safety and the Second Amendment are not mutually 
exclusive. Law-abiding, responsible Americans have the right to own 
guns; but each of us should also feel safe in our homes, in our parks, 
and in our communities.
  The Isla Vista tragedy has shown us that, when warning signs of 
violence are seen, we must act, but our communities need the tools to 
do so. While we may never be able to prevent each and every single 
violent act, it doesn't mean we should do nothing. Our communities 
demand that we try.
  I share with you my constituent's heartbreaking questions:

       They talk about gun rights. What about Chris' right to 
     live?

  So I join the chorus of those who are so rightly frustrated with the 
status quo and with this Congress. They have said to our Congress: not 
one more.
  Today's resolution is an important step in that direction. We must 
condemn the violence. We must remember the victims. We must support the 
living.
  On behalf of my community, thank you, my colleagues and the 
communities that you represent, for your prayers. Thank you for your 
support during this difficult time. It means a great deal to all of us 
on the central coast of California, but let this not be the end of the 
conversation.
  I am looking forward to working with each of you to do all we can so 
that there is not one more. We can act, and we must.
  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend, Mrs. Capps, 
for her strong message.
  I yield 5 minutes to my good friend and colleague from California 
(Mr. Honda).
  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself with the 
words that have been expressed this afternoon.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today with great sadness. My heart goes out to 
the families and friends of all the victims killed in the tragic events 
of May 23 in Isla Vista, California.
  Three of the victims were from my California Congressional District 
17. I want to express my deepest condolences to the families of Cheng 
``James'' Yuan Hong, George Chen, and Weihan ``David'' Wang. The lives 
of these young men were cut short in the senseless tragedy that 
happened this past Memorial Day weekend.
  ``James'' Hong and George Chen--from San Jose--and ``David'' Wang--
from Fremont--were all from immigrant Chinese families. They were all 
studying engineering at UC Santa Barbara. I ask everyone to please keep 
in your thoughts and prayers these young men and their families.
  As we struggle to make sense of what happened, we must seriously 
examine our gun laws and ask why people who are mentally disturbed can 
continue to possess and obtain firearms.
  These acts of violence cannot be allowed to continue. How many more 
tragedies must our Nation suffer before Congress acts?
  We in Congress promised our Nation we would do better after the 
shootings at Sandy Hook, but we have not made good on that promise.

                              {time}  1315

  Instead, the shootings have continued. Just since the Isla Vista 
killings on May 23, there have been two more mass shootings.

[[Page 9775]]

  I am outraged that we have not done more to protect the public from 
gun violence. Congress has failed to act. Congress has failed the 
American people. It is up to us to pass comprehensive, commonsense gun 
laws to prevent these tragic deaths from occurring.
  The brutal violence exacted on the victims in Isla Vista, California, 
was horrific. What was particularly horrific was the nature in which 
those three young men were killed. They were stabbed to death before 
the perpetrator went on a shooting spree that claimed the lives of more 
victims.
  We will always remember those who are no longer with us, but we must 
also honor them. We must enact real change to our gun laws to protect 
not only the young people but all of our citizens. It is our moral 
obligation.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and 
subject to close, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I, too, have no further speakers, and I am 
prepared to close.
  I would hate to think that we will have one of these resolutions on 
the House floor week after week because we choose to do nothing. There 
are 32 people who will die today due to gunshot wounds, and there are 
32 who will die tomorrow and 32 the next day. We seem to somehow be 
inured to what is going on around us. Let us respect those who have 
died and those who have been injured, and let us take steps to do 
something this year.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The mentally ill have for too long been able to get guns. Individuals 
who have been seen and exposed as being violent or incarcerated for 
their mental illnesses have too often become their own victims because 
we haven't paid enough attention to their possession of deadly weapons. 
This case is different than some because this violent individual also 
used knives.
  No matter what, I join on a bipartisan basis, urging that, as we look 
at a national mental health policy, we include the recognition that it 
is in other people's best interests. Of course, there are victims of 
these crimes, but too often, the mentally ill kill themselves with a 
gun. The mentally ill take their lives. As we look at a terrible 
tragedy of murder, let's bear in mind that the real reform that we have 
to get to the root of is that of dealing with the mentally ill better 
in this country, dealing with the need to take weapons out of their 
hands and also the need to provide them real opportunity for care.
  A number of Members of Congress have pieces of legislation that deal 
with mental health, and although there has been much discussion about 
gun control, this was really a mental health control question before it 
was a gun control question.
  I urge the passage by all of our Members of this balanced bill that 
was authored by my friend, the gentlelady from Santa Barbara (Mrs. 
Capps), because it does speak to both problems: the gun problem, of 
course--the murder of innocent people--but also the mental health 
question.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my colleague from 
Santa Barbara and of this resolution.
  My heart goes out to the community of Isla Vista, the victims and 
their families.
  As a father and grandfather, my heart breaks for the families of the 
young lives that ended too soon: Christopher Michaels-Martinez, 
Veronika Weiss, Katie Cooper, Cheng-Yuan Hong, George Chen, Weihan 
Wang.
  And I am angry that we're in this situation yet again.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution states that the House of Representatives 
remains committed to working to help prevent tragedies like this from 
happening ever again.
  Some may say that today is not the day to talk about guns, or 
violence.
  Others may say that weapons are not the problem, and we should focus 
our efforts on mental health care.
  I say we need to talk about both. The shooter was a mentally ill 
young man who had better access to firearms than he did sufficient 
mental health care.
  We also need to talk about misogyny and its impact on domestic 
violence.
  These are hard conversations, with no easy answers. But we owe it to 
the victims and their families of this and other tragedies to have 
these important conversations.
  We must speak on behalf of those who can no longer speak. We must not 
be afraid to take action.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my sorrow over the 
tragedy that occurred on May 23rd in Isla Vista, a community adjoining 
the University of California at Santa Barbara, and to add my voice to 
the chorus of Americans demanding, ``Not one more.''
  My heart goes out to the families of the victims of this senseless 
tragedy. The lives of UCSB students George Chen and Cheng `James' Yuan 
Hong of San Jose, Weihan `David' Wang, Katherine Breann Cooper, 
Christopher Ross Michaels-Martinez, and Veronika Elizabeth Weiss were 
cut far too short. This terrible event has touched not only my 
community of San Jose, but my office in DC, which is home to several 
Gauchos.
  We owe it to these families to act immediately to address gun 
violence in our country. Incidents like the one that occurred in Isla 
Vista are becoming far too common. I urge my colleagues to support H. 
Res. 608 and to commit to action on preventing gun violence.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 608, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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