Howard Dean: “I thank the chairman for yielding time. Like many of you, I am struggling as we see day after day, night after night…”

“I thank the chairman for yielding time. Like many of you, I am struggling as we see day after day, night after night, more lives lost to gun violence in America. On Sunday, a 15-year-old boy was killed and three other people shot in a mass shooting 15 minutes from where we stand right now. On Monday, just after midnight, a 21-year-old college student was killed in a hail of gunfire that also wounded eight others in Harlem. Last week, in the Judiciary Committee, I talked about the three young men who were killed and 11 wounded in the single biggest shooting in Philadelphia in 7 years. Are we safe anywhere in this country anymore? Many of us are determined to fight for radical change to combat a dangerous obsession with guns and gun violence. In the Judiciary Committee, we voted for extreme risk protection orders. Republicans in that committee voted ``no.'' We voted to raise the age for purchase of semiautomatics to 21. Republicans said ``no.'' We voted to safely store guns. Republicans said ``no.'' We voted to get rid of ghost guns. Republicans said ``no.'' We voted for background checks. Republicans said ``no.'' Now, today, we are trying to pass text alerts--alerts--for active shooters. I am thankful that this small measure has some bipartisan support. Yet, some Republicans in Congress support guns so much that they will find a way to say ``no'' and hide behind the Second Amendment.…”