Ted Deutch: “It was President John F. Kennedy who famously said, ``Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.'' Last week…”

“It was President John F. Kennedy who famously said, ``Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.'' Last week, some members of the United States Senate took the easy way out when they voted down the most basic measures to curb gun violence in America. Today, I ask my friends and colleagues in this body, Democrats and Republicans alike, to pray for the courage to stand with the American people and to refuse to accept the profound failure of the United States Senate. For the parents of those children lost in Newtown and for the families of the nearly 86 Americans who die of gunshot wounds every day, there are no easy days. Doing what's right, like stopping criminals from buying weapons online and cracking down on illegal gun trafficking, will not cost anyone a vote at the ballot box, for the American people know that these measures don't threaten the Second Amendment; they only protect the rights of all Americans to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Mr. Speaker, too many lives have been lost, and too many lives are on the line not to get something done. ____________________”