Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today is 1 month to the day from a tragic shooting in Parkland, FL, where 17 high-school-aged students lost their lives. As so many of my colleagues have done, I come to the floor to remember them, to honor their loss, to speak to their classmates, colleagues, and families, and to share from the experience of my own home State of Delaware. This morning, today, there are high school students across our country and across my home State of Delaware who are walking out of class to try and draw the attention of those of us in Washington to the urgent need that we work across the aisle to tackle the plague of gun violence that affects communities all over this country. That is why we see young people not just across the country but including in my home State of Delaware demanding that we take action. We need to answer their call. Let me speak to my hometown of Wilmington, DE. Just last month, 5 people--5 people, last month--under the age of 21 were shot in Wilmington, and 2017 ended as one of the worst years ever for gun violence and homicides--197 individuals shot, 32 wounded fatally. If I could, I wish to read the names of 31 individuals who were victims of gun violence in the city of Wilmington in 2017. We are working--Federal, State, and local officials; police departments and community and civic leaders--to try to tackle these challenges, but some of the core causes can only be addressed here.…”