[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 10175-10176]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                ADDRESSING THE EPIDEMIC OF GUN VIOLENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, we reflected on how fortunate we 
are to live in a country that gives each of us a voice in our 
government. Today, this Congress will, once again, ignore the voices of 
millions of Americans by refusing to address the epidemic of gun 
violence in our communities.
  Yesterday, we honored the courage that millions of Americans have 
demonstrated throughout our history by

[[Page 10176]]

standing up in defense of their fellow citizens. But today, this 
Congress will not muster the courage to hold a vote on two proposals 
that are supported by roughly 90 percent of this country and that can 
save American lives.
  Mr. Speaker, the American people deserve to be heard. They deserve a 
vote. If the U.S. homeland security community places a person on the 
FBI terrorist watch list or determines that a person is too dangerous 
to board an airplane, then surely we can agree that person is too 
dangerous to buy a firearm.
  This week, the majority will introduce a bill that pretends to close 
this gap in our homeland security laws, but, in reality, it would 
create a system in which it is both legal and likely for suspected 
terrorists to buy a firearm.
  The Republican measure takes no fly, no buy and turns it into no fly, 
no problem. Under their proposal, if a known or suspected terrorist 
attempts to buy a weapon, they will be denied that ability for a mere 3 
days.
  From the moment they attempt to purchase that firearm, the following 
things must happen, all within 72 hours, to prevent that purchase: the 
Attorney General must file a petition in Federal court; the court must 
schedule a hearing; the suspect must be provided actual notice and the 
opportunity to appear at that hearing with a lawyer; the court must 
rule on the petition. And if all those things do not occur in 3 days, 
the suspect is legally entitled to buy a weapon.
  Not only does the Republican bill set an impossible timeline, it also 
requires the Justice Department to meet an extremely high burden of 
proof. A sale would only be prevented if the court finds probable cause 
that the suspect has committed or will commit an act of terrorism.
  The Republican proposal is specifically designed to ensure the 
Justice Department fails and the suspect is allowed to buy a gun. It is 
a fig leaf to cover up the Republicans' refusal to take any meaningful 
action on gun violence. It is no surprise that this bill is supported 
by the gun lobby.
  Instead of spending our time on toothless, ineffective proposals, we 
should vote on the original no fly, no buy bill that will keep guns out 
of the hands of suspected terrorists.
  We are also demanding a vote on a bipartisan proposal to require that 
commercial gun purchases include a background check, background checks 
for all. I have yet to hear one good explanation on why this should not 
be the law of the land. If a dangerous person cannot pass a background 
check at a licensed gun dealer, they should not be able to avoid a 
background check by going to a gun show or purchasing a firearm over 
the Internet.
  In States that have closed loopholes in their background check laws, 
48 percent fewer on-duty police officers are shot to death--but my 
colleagues across the aisle still refuse to hold a vote.
  Mr. Speaker, 33,000 people were killed by gun violence in America 
last year. The American people deserve more than moments of silence. 
They deserve action to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of 
dangerous people.

                              {time}  1300

  They deserve to have their voices heard. They deserve to send their 
kids to school without fearing an assault-style weapon will be waiting 
for them. But, at the very least, they deserve to know where each 
Member of Congress stands. I am asking my Republican colleagues to find 
the courage to hold a vote on real gun violence prevention legislation 
that will save American lives.

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