On the recordJanuary 10, 2019
I rise as a proud cosponsor of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, a bill to implement universal background checks as a critical first step towards ending the public health crisis of gun violence. Today, I speak up in honor of the Moms and Students Demand Action leaders from Michigan's Ninth District who have inspired me. I speak up because it is unacceptable that far more people per capita are shot and killed annually in our country than in other wealthy nations. And it is unacceptable that in 2016, more than 1,200 Michiganders died from firearms-related injuries. I speak up because the American people are counting on us to save lives, and this bill is a commonsense way to do that. I feel privileged to cosponsor this bill as one of my first actions in Congress. We owe it to families everywhere to get this done. ____________________
