[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 8768]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1030
                 A TIME COMES WHEN SILENCE IS BETRAYAL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Connecticut (Ms. Esty) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ESTY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind this House that Martin 
Luther King, Jr. said: A time comes when silence is betrayal.
  Early Sunday morning, 49 Americans were murdered and 53 wounded, 
gunned down at a gay nightclub in Orlando.
  As a nation, we grieve for the 49 Americans who were taken from us 
that day. Our hearts and prayers are with their loved ones and with all 
those who were wounded. Yet while we grieve, we must also act. This 
heinous, hateful attack had three important aspects, each of which we 
must acknowledge and address. Orlando was a hate crime. It was a 
terrorist attack, and it was committed with a gun that this individual 
should never have had.
  This terrorist attack was a hate crime, and if we ignore that brutal 
reality, if we are silent about it, then we disrespect the victims of 
this tragedy, their families, and LGBT Americans across this Nation. So 
let's be very clear. On Sunday, an individual set out to kill LGBT 
Americans simply because of who they are. It was a direct attack on the 
LGBT community in a place where they gathered for safety and 
fellowship, and it was an attack on the Latino and Hispanic community 
as well.
  As the sister of a gay man, this attack is personal to me, but in 
reality, this attack is personal to all Americans. It is an attack on 
our families, our friends, our values. It is an attack on our diversity 
and our freedom. As Americans, we do not back down from our values. We 
unite around them. We do not respond to hatred with hatred.
  Today it is more important than ever to stand up proudly against 
discrimination in all forms, whether it is based on sexual orientation, 
on gender identity, religion, race, or anything else.
  This was also a terrorist attack that requires a counterterrorism 
response. We need to strengthen our intelligence efforts at home and 
abroad. At home we need to identify potential lone wolf attackers and 
stop them before they become radicalized. Our political leaders, or 
those seeking to become political leaders, need to stop singling out 
Muslim Americans for hatred and violence.
  Targeting Muslim Americans with violence and discrimination isn't 
just un-American; it makes our entire Nation less safe. It gives ISIS a 
recruiting tool to radicalize individuals in this country and around 
the world. It puts families in this country in greater danger, and it 
puts our troops at greater risk. We need the Muslim communities 
throughout this country that are standing up against terrorism and 
against dangerous radical perversions of their faith. We rely on their 
cooperation to identify potential attackers before they attack.
  Finally, we need to close the gaping hole in our laws that allow 
suspected terrorists who are on the FBI's terrorist watch list to walk 
into a store and buy a firearm. This issue is only controversial in 
this House and in Congress. Among our constituents, it is common sense. 
If you are too dangerous to fly, you are too dangerous to own a gun. 
Quite simply, no fly, no buy.
  The time for silence is over. We in Congress have a sworn obligation 
to protect the people of the United States. Every day we fail to act is 
a failure to carry out our most basic duty.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 
1076, the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 5, 2016, the House is in session solely for the purpose of 
conducting morning-hour debate. Therefore, that unanimous consent 
request cannot be entertained.
  Ms. ESTY. Mr. Speaker, I will stand here for the remainder of my time 
to protest the appalling silence of this House and its refusal to act 
in the face of this terrorist act.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentlewoman's time has expired.

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