Political Quotes

“I thank Congressman Raskin for yielding and for his tireless leadership. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the rule and H.R. 8, Congressman Thompson's bipartisan bill that makes gun sale background checks universal. This bill is an important step to ensure that individuals who should not be allowed to purchase a gun are no longer able to purchase a gun. Since 2014, nearly 400 of my constituents have died by gun violence. Our community feels their loss every single day. Here are just a few of their names and tragic stories. Davon Ellis: Davon was a star football player and an excellent student at Oakland Tech High School. He was shot and killed while walking home from school. My nephew was walking with him when he was gunned down. Travon Godfrey: Travon was killed in 2016 while sitting in a car with his friends in front of his home. Every time I think about Travon, my heart breaks. Travon came to a town meeting that I held on gun violence in January of 2016. Sadly, these heartbreaking stories are all too familiar in communities across the country. More than 30,000 Americans lose their lives to gun violence each year. Shootings now kill as many Americans as car accidents, and that is why this bill is so important. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.”