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[Page H7758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GUN VIOLENCE IS UNACCEPTABLE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Rush) for 5 minutes.
Mr. RUSH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address the scourge of mass
shootings currently plaguing my community and other communities around
the Nation.
The Gun Violence Archive, Mr. Speaker, which is a not-for-profit
corporation that tracks and disseminates information on mass shootings,
defines mass shootings as incidents where four or more people are
injured or killed as a result of gunfire. Using this metric, Mr.
Speaker, there have been 33 mass shootings in my district in the past 5
years, and eight so far this year--33 mass shootings in my district in
the past 5 years and eight so far this very year.
Mr. Speaker, our national consciousness has been shocked by the
tragedies in Ohio and Texas, as it should very well be, but we seem
increasingly numb to the everyday violence taking place in cities like
Chicago and Baltimore and other places throughout the Nation,
especially when that violence impacts people of color.
Mr. Speaker, clearly, the events that took place in Dayton, El Paso,
and Odessa deserve our most serious and intense attention. These are
despicable acts carried out by despicable actors. I only wish, Mr.
Speaker, that every single mass shooting in our Nation received the
same intense and undivided attention.
There are men, women, and children being murdered and maimed on an
almost daily basis across our Nation. Their names, Mr. Speaker, are
easily forgotten and not remembered. Their stories will not be read
aloud on the national news. Their families' pain will continue to be
ignored.
There are many slow-moving massacres taking place in districts like
mine that, unfortunately, do not receive the same widespread attention
because the violence is occurring in poorer, minority communities where
it is sadly seen as commonplace or par for the course: They deserve to
be victims. They deserve to be mass murdered. They deserve to be killed
by gunfire. They have earned that. That is how they live. They are
subhuman.
Mr. Speaker, as you and I know, this is unacceptable at its core.
Throughout my tenure in this Congress, I have introduced and
reintroduced legislation that will help reduce the mass shootings
taking place today, yesterday, and days gone by in my district and
beyond.
{time} 1015
In 2007, I first introduced the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing and
Record of Sale Act. I have reintroduced this bill in every Congress
since; and in 2019, it is more necessary than ever, as it would forbid
unlicensed firearm ownership, prohibit the transfer of firearms without
a valid license, and require universal background checks.
Additionally, Mr. Speaker, this body has passed two important
background check bills that have been passed out of this House, and I
was the proud cosponsor of each of these bills. They now, sad to say,
are sitting collecting dust over on the Senate side.
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