February 28, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 37 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H2276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         COMBATING GUN VIOLENCE

  (Mrs. TRAHAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. TRAHAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today with a great sense of 
urgency.
  Every day it seems as if there is another news story about a shooting 
in a school, a movie theater, a synagogue, or on a city block. We have 
lost far too many lives due to gun violence.
  From my own community, I celebrate the life of Olivia Marchand from 
Westford, whose mother, Jody, endured years of domestic abuse. In 2010, 
she survived her husband's brutal attack but lost her beautiful Olivia 
when her husband shot and killed her and then killed himself.
  This tragedy devastated our whole community. As a mother, this loss 
still fills me with grief and anger.
  Today, Jody keeps her daughter's memory alive, educates women on 
domestic violence, and fights for tougher gun laws. We must answer 
America's call for action on gun violence, not the gun lobby's call to 
maintain the status quo.
  Yesterday, we passed universal background check legislation, a 
necessary first step to tackle gun violence in America. I urge my 
colleagues to continue voting for these critical reforms.

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