[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[House]
[Pages 19787-19788]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  OBSERVING THE SANDY HOOK ANNIVERSARY

  (Mr. McEACHIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. McEACHIN. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today on the anniversary of 
the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
  On December 14, 2012, Newtown, Connecticut, lost 20 innocent 
children--most, 6 years old--to gun violence. We also lost six brave 
teachers and staff

[[Page 19788]]

who did everything possible to protect the students in their care.
  As a father, I cannot imagine anything more painful than the loss of 
a child. As an American, I struggle to imagine a more horrific tragedy 
than that which happened in Newtown.
  Mr. Speaker, many of us thought this tragedy would fairly move the 
needle on policy. That did not happen. Just last week, the House passed 
major legislation loosening gun safety laws.
  I want to remind my colleagues in the majority that it is not too 
late to act. We cannot bring back those whom we have lost, but we can 
and must ensure that more families do not face the pain that Newtown 
families faced.
  I urge my colleagues in the majority to join this side of the aisle 
in supporting commonsense gun safety reform. Thoughts and prayers are 
not enough. Help us to end this scourge.

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