Yvette Clarke: “Monday, November 26, 2012, is a great day for the residents of my town. New York City went 24 hours without a single…”

“Monday, November 26, 2012, is a great day for the residents of my town. New York City went 24 hours without a single person being injured or killed by gun violence. That day, the Brownsville section of Brooklyn within my district, which has experienced more shooting victims last year than any other part of the city, saw a most-needed reprieve from the violence it experiences on a daily basis. Mr. Speaker, women and children are gunned down every day in urban communities across the country by illegal handgun violence. In fact, on average, more than 100,000 people in the United States are shot and killed with a gun annually. This is endemic in communities of color where illegal handgun violence has become a very serious public health issue. These numbers are unacceptable, especially in a State and city with some of the strictest gun laws in the Nation. Lastly, gun violence is not an inevitable problem, yet it continues to plague our communities. We owe it to the people we represent and to future generations to act with urgency and conviction to put an end to this senseless pattern of gun violence. ____________________”