On the recordJune 3, 2019
Madam Speaker, in the wake of yet another tragedy, I rise to recognize the month of June as National Gun Violence Awareness Month. On Friday, yet another 12 people lost their lives to gun violence, this time in Virginia Beach. Twelve more families were ripped apart, another community forever changed. I know firsthand the devastation a gun can cause. The accidental shooting that left me a quadriplegic was life-shattering. And yet the pain of losing a parent, a child, or a friend is forever unimaginable. I have said too many times to count that we must address the gun violence epidemic head-on. We owe it to the family members, the friends, and the neighbors who lost their lives in Virginia Beach and the thousands more who will die this year. We know the policies that work. Now we must have the courage to enact them. ____________________





