On the recordDecember 13, 2017
I thank the gentlewoman for yielding, and I thank her for her leadership. I am sure she is leading on this devastating day and devastating loss in her district that she would much prefer not to do. As I listened to my colleagues, each of us giving our own separate story of where we were the day of Sandy Hook, all I can say, and what I remember, is that I became breathless; I became unbelieving. It was a very painful day. It was a sickening day, horrifying, and I was questioning: Is this really happening, or did this really happen? As a member of the Judiciary Committee, and as I have listened over the years of some of the more descriptive accounts of Sandy Hook, some of the stories of such bravery of the principal and teachers who lost their lives, or those who tried to intervene on this deranged gunman-- who, by the way, killed his mother before he came to that school--there is nothing more that you can say. Breathless. Similar to the actions of former President Barack Obama. I can distinctly remember him being before the national audience, the people of the United States, as I recall, in the White House, and wiping a tear, or tears, away from his eyes. I think the whole Nation, at that time, crumbled. A Commander in Chief, known for his strong, stoic leadership, could not comprehend what had happened to these children at Sandy Hook. I think all of us believe this would be a galvanizing call to action. All of us took notice.…
