Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1181. The epidemic--actually, rather the tragedy--of veterans' suicide has affected families across the country, including my own. I recall walking home after school at the age of 10 or 11 in the month of November--as you know, Veterans Day is in the month of November--and hearing the news that my uncle, who lived across the street from us, had taken his own life with a firearm. He was a Vietnam veteran, and his memory serves as a personal reminder about the tragedy of veterans' suicide. To this day, it continues to plague our communities with our recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Of the 20 veterans who die from suicide every day, two-thirds of those occur by firearm. Part of stopping this crisis is keeping guns out of the hands of our most vulnerable veterans. Removing all individuals determined by the VA to be mentally incompetent from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System will make it easier for a veteran in crisis to obtain a firearm. To be clear, there are veterans currently flagged in the background check system who should not be there, and we need to create a fair and streamlined process for veterans to appeal their status. But there is a balance between protecting veterans' Second Amendment rights and protecting veterans who are a danger to themselves or others. Immediately removing restrictions on every individual does not strike the right balance.…”