[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19725]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              GUN VIOLENCE

  (Mr. EVANS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak about something truly 
heartbreaking. Five years ago, 20 children and 6 adults were ruthlessly 
gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
  Since then, no meaningful gun legislation has been passed in this 
Congress, in spite of widespread public support for commonsense gun 
reform.
  And guess what. We had another fatal shooting in Las Vegas, where 
almost 60 people were gunned down. And there was another one in Texas, 
where churchgoers were shot down while praying.
  In the last 4 years, two Members have been shot. Talk about hitting 
close to home.
  According to the CDC, on average, 93 Americans are killed with guns 
every day in our country. This is simply unacceptable. Our Nation also 
has the highest homicide by firearm rate among the world's most 
developed nations.
  In October 2017, there were over 232 homicides in Philadelphia, 
meaning that the homicide rate was 8 percent higher than during the 
same time last year. The city of Philadelphia knows all too well the 
lives lost at the hands of gun violence.
  Promoting public safety and making our neighborhoods stronger and 
safer block by block is something I will continue to fight for.
  Mr. Speaker, the American people are tired of excuses and inactions. 
This is truly a matter of life and death. We need to look out for our 
Nation's future and we need to stop this block by block.

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