Mark Takano: “Yesterday, we reflected on how fortunate we are to live in a country that gives each of us a voice in our government.…”

“Yesterday, we reflected on how fortunate we are to live in a country that gives each of us a voice in our government. Today, this Congress will, once again, ignore the voices of millions of Americans by refusing to address the epidemic of gun violence in our communities. Yesterday, we honored the courage that millions of Americans have demonstrated throughout our history by standing up in defense of their fellow citizens. But today, this Congress will not muster the courage to hold a vote on two proposals that are supported by roughly 90 percent of this country and that can save American lives. Mr. Speaker, the American people deserve to be heard. They deserve a vote. If the U.S. homeland security community places a person on the FBI terrorist watch list or determines that a person is too dangerous to board an airplane, then surely we can agree that person is too dangerous to buy a firearm. This week, the majority will introduce a bill that pretends to close this gap in our homeland security laws, but, in reality, it would create a system in which it is both legal and likely for suspected terrorists to buy a firearm. The Republican measure takes no fly, no buy and turns it into no fly, no problem. Under their proposal, if a known or suspected terrorist attempts to buy a weapon, they will be denied that ability for a mere 3 days.…”