[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5806-5807]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          GUN VIOLENCE AND NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS DAY

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I wish to speak about the epidemic of gun 
violence that continues to plague our Nation.
  Every year, around 32,000 Americans are killed by guns. According to 
recent Centers for Disease Control statistics, every day, on average, 
297 Americans are shot, and 91 of those shootings are fatal. 
Communities across the Nation are affected by this violence, and no 
community has suffered more than the city of Chicago in my home State 
of Illinois.
  From the start of the year through May 10, at least 1,242 people were 
shot in Chicago. During the same period, there were at least 215 
murders in Chicago, the vast majority committed with guns. The level of 
violence in Chicago is significantly higher than in recent years. And 
more people have been shot in Chicago this year than in New York City 
and Los Angeles combined. It is devastating.
  I met 2 weeks ago with the top Federal law enforcement officials in 
Chicago: U.S. Attorney Zach Fardon, U.S. Marshal Ed Gilmore, and 
leaders from the FBI, ATF, and DEA. They reaffirmed their commitment to 
do all they can at the Federal level to bring down this high level of 
gun violence in the city. They are committed to working with the 
Chicago Police Department and its new superintendent, Eddie Johnson, to 
ensure that Chicago's residents are both protected and respected by law 
enforcement.
  There is much work that needs to be done to improve community 
policing in Chicago to better safeguard the public's safety. I am 
confident that the Justice Department's ongoing review of the CPD will 
lead to important reforms that will build trust between officers and 
the communities they serve. We have seen Justice Department reviews in 
other cities produce dramatic improvements. When communities and cops 
are working together with a relationship of trust and respect, it makes 
it harder for criminals to operate.
  I also want to commend the many community leaders, faith leaders, 
teachers, volunteers, and family members who are working to provide 
Chicago's children with a better path, away from the violence. I met 
recently with students at John Hope College Prep in Englewood on the 
South Side of Chicago, along with City Year volunteers who worked with 
them. It was inspiring to hear how these high school freshmen and 
sophomores talked about their work with their City Year mentors. One 
student told me ``the thing I love most about City Year is that they 
never let you give up.'' With the help of their mentors, these students 
are doing well in school, steering clear of the gangs, and planning for 
a bright future.
  It is so important that we nurture these kinds of efforts throughout 
Chicago. We have to give the younger generation the opportunities and 
hope that will lead them away from the path of gangs and violence.
  We also have a responsibility to help these efforts by stemming the 
flood of illicit guns that comes into Chicago. When it is easy for gang 
members to get their hands on guns, it is hard for children and 
communities to avoid violence. We must all do our part to stop the gun 
trafficking that supplies Chicago's criminal gangs.
  I want to commend President Obama for taking an important step last 
week to help combat gun trafficking. This step has to do with smart gun 
technology.
  Right now we have security features on our phones and computers that 
can prevent thieves and unauthorized people from using them. You can 
secure these devices so they can only be unlocked with a password, 
fingerprint, or some other security feature. We can develop similar 
technology so that an unauthorized user cannot fire a gun. This would 
make it far harder for a prohibited gun buyer to get his hands on a gun 
he can use.
  Smart gun technology would also prevent thieves from stealing guns to 
resell them, and it would help prevent kids from playing with guns and 
getting hurt.
  For years there has been resistance to smart gun technology. Part of 
this resistance has come from the gun lobby, which always fights 
against proposals that might reduce gun sales. But resistance has also 
come from law enforcement, which had concerns about whether smart gun 
technology would work effectively.
  Last week, the administration announced that it would partner with 
law enforcement to develop voluntary standards for what law enforcement 
would need in order to consider using smart gun technology. Within 6 
months, this effort will produce baseline specifications for the 
reliability, durability and accuracy of this technology.
  Once there is agreement on a set of standards for smart gun 
technology, then innovators can get to work on developing products that 
meet those standards and bringing those products to market. The 
administration will

[[Page 5807]]

help this effort with its research dollars and purchasing power. They 
will help make this technology a reality.
  This could be a game changer when it comes to deterring illegal gun 
trafficking. It is exactly the kind of effort that the city of Chicago 
needs. I commend the administration for undertaking this effort, and I 
will do everything in my power to support it.
  As we work to prevent future gun violence, it is also important that 
we remember and pay tribute to those we have lost to this epidemic of 
violence.
  June 2, 2016, will mark what should be the 19th birthday of Hadiya 
Pendleton. Hadiya was 15 years old when she was gunned down while 
standing in a park on Chicago's South Side on January 29, 2013. She had 
just performed with her King College Prep school band at the 
President's inauguration ceremony one week before.
  I have come to know Hadiya's family--her mother Cleo and her father 
Nate--and I have met many people who have been deeply affected by 
Hadiya's senseless murder.
  After her death, Hadiya's friends started a campaign to urge people 
to wear orange on June 2, Hadiya's birthday, to honor victims of gun 
violence. Orange is the color that hunters wear in the woods so that 
nobody shoots them.
  This campaign became a national phenomenon. June 2 has now become Gun 
Violence Awareness Day. Last year I was proud to join with students, 
faith leaders, community leaders, media figures, lawmakers, and many 
more across the Nation who wore orange to honor Hadiya and the 32,000 
victims lost each year to gun violence.
  I will be wearing orange again on June 2 this year, and I urge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  We must never forget our solemn obligation to do all we can to keep 
the American people safe, and that includes keeping Americans safe from 
preventable gun violence.
  Thousands of Americans are shot and killed each year in shootings 
that could have been prevented. There are steps we can take, consistent 
with our Constitution and with our traditions of hunting and sport 
shooting, to avoid these tragic deaths. We should not be afraid to take 
those steps.
  This June 2, Hadiya Pendleton should be celebrating her 19th 
birthday. Instead, a nation will mourn her loss and the loss of so many 
others due to gun violence. We owe it to Hadiya and to the victims to 
do our best to spare others from this violence in the future.

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