Formatting necessary for an accurate reading of this text may be shown by tags (e.g., <DELETED> or <BOLD>) or may be missing from this TXT display. For complete and accurate display of this text, see the PDF.
[Page H2238]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GUN VIOLENCE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from
New Jersey (Ms. Sherrill) for 5 minutes.
Ms. SHERRILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in this Chamber today in support of
H.R. 8.
Americans have been waiting for Congress to catch up to them. It
isn't often that we hear that 70, 80, or 90 percent of Americans agree
on something, but when it comes to universal background checks, 97
percent of Americans think it is a good idea.
In my own district, I have seen that unity. After Parkland, we had
13,000 people in Morristown, New Jersey, at the student-led March for
Our Lives demanding gun safety legislation. After the horrific shooting
at the Tree of Life synagogue, members of the community came together
to denounce gun violence.
The 11th District of New Jersey understands that universal background
checks are a responsible way to address the gun violence epidemic in
this country. It is a way to keep our communities safe.
Here in New Jersey, we know that successful, responsible gun
ownership looks a lot like the legislation we have on the books. We
have good gun safety laws, but they are constantly undermined by States
with weak gun safety laws.
As a Federal prosecutor, I worked on cases where we traced illegal
guns to neighboring States with weak gun safety laws. That is why it is
so important that we have stronger Federal gun safety laws. Gun
violence is a national problem, and it deserves a national response.
Mr. Speaker, I grew up in a culture of gun safety. My father is a
hunter, and he taught me how to shoot. I went on to serve in the United
States Navy, and I was qualified as an expert shot in the M16, the Colt
45, and the 9-millimeter Beretta.
I am joined today by a fellow freshman veteran, the gentlewoman from
Pennsylvania, and we have been trained and know the power of these
weapons and the damage that they can do. Universal background checks
are an easy step that we can take to improve gun safety in this
country.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms.
Houlahan).
Ms. HOULAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey
for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today also in support of H.R. 8, and I rise to
tell the story of one resident from my community, from Pennsylvania's
Sixth Congressional District, Jamie Loeper, and his parents, Liz and
Joe, from West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Jamie had just graduated college and was looking for a permanent
postcollege job. In the meantime, he was working in a pizza shop in
West Philadelphia when his life was tragically cut short in January
2004 when a worker accidentally shot him. This was not done in malice
but was the result of a coworker accidentally mishandling a gun. Jamie
passed away when he was 22 years old. Today would have been his 38th
birthday.
I rise for the 1,600 Pennsylvanians and nearly 40,000 Americans who
have lost their lives to gun-related incidents in 2017 alone.
The Loepers, like mine, are a military family. We understand the
values of responsible gun ownership but also that we must take
commonsense steps to reduce gun violence in our communities. We have
seen for far too long far too many gun-related tragedies over the past
several years with Congress doing nothing. We must act now.
____________________
