July 29, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 134 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Page H3888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      GUN VIOLENCE IN OUR STREETS

  (Mr. HIGGINS of New York asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Mr. Speaker, illegally obtained guns are 
pouring over the streets of communities across the country, including 
in my community of Buffalo, New York.
  These illegal guns are responsible for tragic deaths. Last year, 
30,000 Americans, including 262 children, were killed by gun violence.
  The number of slain Americans are more than just statistics; they are 
real people: fathers, mothers, grandparents, sons, daughters, and 
grandkids. They had dreams, they had aspirations, and they had their 
whole lives ahead of them.
  This is an urgent call to action against gun violence. Members of my 
community are coming together and they are calling on Congress to 
repeal provisions that prohibit our government from knowing if firearms 
have been lost or stolen.
  Mr. Speaker, I support this call to action and urge this body to 
continue to work to make our communities safer for all. Those whose 
lives were lost would still be with us today if legislation this House 
passed, commonsense gun reforms, universal background checks, and a ban 
on assault weapons, were enacted into law.
  We must do better. Repeal the Tiahrt amendment now.

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