On the recordJune 5, 2019
Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate D-Day and express our heartfelt gratitude to veterans across our great Nation, it is also an appropriate time to think of civilians and security threats at home. June is Gun Violence Awareness Month and a time to reflect on the lives we have lost to gun violence and reinvigorate our fight to end senseless suffering. Just this past week, 52 people were shot in Chicago, resulting in 10 deaths, and 12 lives were taken in Virginia Beach. The shooting in Virginia Beach was the 150th mass shooting in 2019. Just think about that and the lives lost. Americans like Ryan Keith Cox, a hero who helped his coworkers to safety, Mary Louise Gayle, a devoted mother and grandmother known for her holiday gingerbread houses, Richard Nettleton, a veteran and a die-hard Red Sox fan, Katherine, Christopher, Bert, Laquita, Bobby, Missy, Joshua, Alexander, and Tara. We are not powerless. 100 days ago House Democrats passed two gun safety reform bills supported by over 90 percent of Americans. These bills can save lives. We can bring sanctuary and safety back to our communities. We ask our Senate colleagues to do their job and bring these life- saving measures up for a vote. ____________________