Bill Pascrell: “I think it is appropriate to take a moment this morning to honor little Kayla Rolland. As a father and grandfather, I…”

“I think it is appropriate to take a moment this morning to honor little Kayla Rolland. As a father and grandfather, I can understand the love that Kayla's family feels for her. Six-year-old Kayla was gunned down in a playground in Michigan 1 year ago. Her killer, a classmate in the first grade, had found a loaded gun at home. The tragic death of little Kayla has shaken us all and must force us to ask the question, how can we allow these gun-related tragedies to happen and not respond? Kayla's fate is not uncommon. Mr. Speaker, do my colleagues know that more than 800 Americans die each year from guns shot from children under the age of 19? Do they know that the rate of firearm deaths of children 1 to 14 years of age is nearly 12 times higher in the United States than in all of the top 25 industrialized countries? If they did not know that, they should. Whether it is childproof guns, whether it is personalized weapons, we need to come together on both sides of the aisle to do something that makes common sense.”