[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 19787]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          NEWTOWN ANNIVERSARY

  (Mr. SCHNEIDER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, on this day in 2012, we watched together 
in horror as news broke of a shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty 
innocent children and six brave educators were gunned down at Sandy 
Hook Elementary School.
  In the 5 years since, this House has paused 40 times for moments of 
silence to recognize the victims of mass shootings. The names are now 
familiar: Emanuel AME, Pulse nightclub, Las Vegas, and Sutherland 
Springs.
  Since Newtown, there have been more than 1,700 mass shooting events, 
nearly one every single day.
  Across the country, there have been nearly 170,000 gun deaths--let me 
repeat that figure--170,000 gun deaths since Newtown.
  But in those 5 years, this House has taken no significant action to 
improve our gun safety laws. We are not debating universal background 
checks or restricting assault weapons or even banning the bump stock 
used 2 months ago in Las Vegas, the worst mass shooting in our history.
  I have met some of the parents of Newtown. We all grieve for them and 
their loss. But our moments of silence are not enough. The 26 who lost 
their lives deserve more. We must honor them with action.
  I urge this House to end the obstruction and finally consider 
legislation that would improve safety for all of our communities.

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