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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E808]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH
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HON. GRACE MENG
of new york
in the house of representatives
Thursday, June 20, 2019
Ms. MENG. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate National Gun Violence
Awareness Month. Since 2017, National Gun Violence Awareness month has
been celebrated annually in June.
For too long and too often we, as a nation, have mourned with yet
another community that was tragically impacted by gun violence. This is
one community too many. Deaths from mass shootings in the U.S. are
increasing at an alarming rate. After Sandy Hook, over 2,086 mass
shootings have taken lives of Americans. From the Tree of Life
synagogue in Pittsburgh to the gurdwara in Oak Creek; from Sandy Hook
Elementary to Stoneman Douglas High School; from the Pulse Night Club
in Florida to the music festival shooting in Las Vegas--these places
and events have sadly become memorialized. And there are countless more
victims of gun violence who never made it to our news cycle.
Gun violence is indeed an epidemic. In addition to the lives lost,
every bullet--every gunshot--rips apart the fabric of a community. For
all those who were faced with gun violence--there is no going back. One
such tragedy is one too many.
Victims of domestic abuse are especially susceptible to gun
violence. That is why we must do all that we can to protect survivors
of dating violence and stalking. Currently, nearly one million women
alive today have been shot or shot at by an intimate partner. Studies
have also shown that women experiencing situations where domestic
abusers have access to a gun are five times as likely to be fatally
shot. Women of color suffer from an even higher risk of death in
similar situations.
We cannot become desensitized to the number of deaths in the news.
We must act now. That is why I was proud to help pass on the floor of
the House of Representatives H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks
Act of 2019, and H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act to
ensure universal background checks and close the Charleston loophole
that enabled the hate crime at Mother Emanuel Church. In the 100 days
of Senate's inaction and refusal to allow these bills a vote on the
Senate floor, 233 New Yorkers were killed by gun violence. This--and
every incident of gun violence--is a travesty.
No one should live their lives in constant fear. No parent should
have to fear for their children as their kids go to school. No one
should fear if their presence in a place of worship or a theatre makes
them vulnerable.
Madam Speaker, as we mark National Gun Violence Awareness Month, we
must be even more emboldened to demand change now. We need to remind
the nation--including our policymakers--of the lives that have been
taken by gun violence and the urgent need for commonsense gun violence
prevention. I call on my colleagues in the Senate to pass H.R. 8 today.
While National Gun Violence Awareness Month occurs in June, we must
fight every single day of the year to prevent the countless deaths
caused by the lack of gun restrictions. Thoughts and prayers are
meaningless without critical action. Enough is enough.
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