[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15402-15403]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  CONGRESS MUST RESPOND APPROPRIATELY

  (Mr. HIGGINS of New York asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, Las Vegas, Nevada, 3 days ago--
59 people dead, 527 injured, one shooter. It was the deadliest mass 
shooting in U.S. modern history.
  Pulse nightclub, Orlando, Florida, 2016--49 people dead, 58 injured, 
one shooter.
  Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, Connecticut, 2012--20 kids 
aged 6 and 7 and 6 adults, all dead, one shooter. The one shooter 
killed his mother and then killed himself.
  I have heard it said that the best gun control is a steady hand. 
Perhaps, but

[[Page 15403]]

a steady hand requires a healthy and sound mind. Assault weapons are 
designed to kill people, and to kill lots of people quickly. Their 
availability made massacres in Las Vegas, Newtown, and Orlando 
possible.
  In the days ahead, we will learn much more about the shooter and his 
guns than about his victims--once again. My hope is that this Congress 
will use this information wisely and find the courage to respond 
appropriately. In this way, and only in this way, do we actually honor 
the victims.

                          ____________________