Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition of the so-called Veterans 2nd Amendment Protection Act. I agree with the chairman of the full committee that we don't want to take away Second Amendment rights from our veterans. In fact, our veterans have the skills and understanding of how to handle firearms. I think about this as a doctor, though, who has served veterans and who has worked in the VA system. We have an epidemic on our hands right now. Every day, 20 veterans commit suicide. That is 20 too many. As someone who has sat in the exam room and listened to these veterans, if there is any evidence or risk of suicidal ideations, if there is any risk of that, I don't want to take doctors out of this process, and that is what I am worried about here. My first job is to do no harm and to do good and help protect these veterans. Two out of three veterans who commit suicide do so with a firearm. We have got to prevent this. This is an epidemic, and it is a national crisis, and we know gun suicides are preventible. When we see those risks, I want to make sure I, as a doctor, have the ability to act and protect that veteran. We need to address this problem like the public health issue that it is. We need to continue to allow doctors to report the risks when they see them. It makes their patients safer, their communities safer, and it is the right thing to do.…”