February 27, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 36 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H2242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               BALANCING GUN RIGHTS WITH SAFE COMMUNITIES

  (Ms. UNDERWOOD asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to take a stand in support 
of H.R. 8, which takes a critical first step to ensure that every 
person who purchases a gun undergoes a background check.
  People should have the right to feel safe from gun violence in their 
community, including at home, at work, and at school. Unfortunately, 
that is not the case today in our country. Time and time again, our 
communities have experienced gun violence due to the absence of 
commonsense gun safety measures.
  Only 12 days ago, five people, four of whom were my constituents, 
left their homes for work at the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora, 
Illinois, and never returned. Their lives were taken by an unspeakably 
horrific act of gun violence.
  It is time to take immediate action to help safeguard our communities 
from gun violence, and today, for the first time in more than two 
decades, the House of Representatives will vote on a major gun safety 
bill, and I will support it.
  H.R. 8 is a strong step toward making our communities safer, and I 
look forward to continuing to work on commonsense legislation that 
balances gun rights with the safety of our communities.

                          ____________________