[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[HOUS]
[Page 20351]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 CONFRONTING THE GUN VIOLENCE EPIDEMIC

  (Mr. QUIGLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, it has been 5 years since 20 children were 
senselessly murdered in the Sandy Hook massacre. And while we will 
never forget the young lives we lost that day, we must also remember 
that this tragic, life-altering and life-robbing epidemic continues to 
impact thousands of other families across the country.
  Two weeks ago, I had the honor of meeting the parents of Alexandria 
Burgos. On October 19, 2014, Alexandria was picking up her brother from 
a friend's house when her life was cut short by a stray bullet shot 
through an apartment window. She was 18 years old. She worked with kids 
at the local YMCA and hoped to be a social worker after graduating from 
college.
  Like her parents, I am telling her story to push the conversation 
forward, the conversation that includes thoughts and prayers, but also 
must lead to action.
  Alexandria's story and the pain felt by her loved ones is something 
that far too many have had to endure in this country. Let 2018 be the 
year that we do more than reflect on the lives we have lost and finally 
step up to find the courage to confront gun violence.

                          ____________________