Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, today Democrats, from the most moderate and conservative Members of our caucus to the most liberal, are united around a series of principles. They are principles that are overwhelmingly supported by over 90 percent of the American people--universal background checks. They are principles that are supported, according to Pew, a nonpolitical poll, by 85 percent of gun owners. They will save tens of thousands of lives without impinging on the rights of any legitimate gun owner.

The gun owners know it. That is why 85 percent of them support it. Gun owners don't want felons to get guns. Gun owners don't want people who have been convicted of stalking and abuse to get guns. We know that. Yet our colleagues on the other side of the aisle refuse to move on anything. Senator Cornyn--I know Senator Stabenow and Senator Murphy and others have done great work on mental health. Senator Cornyn came to the floor today and talked about mental health. First, we want to do things on mental health. We should. It is a huge problem. I would like to see my good friend from Texas support the money that is needed--not a pilot program, but the money that is needed.

The more important point is this: Doing things on mental health--which we should--is not a substitute for closing the gun show loophole. Some of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle are feeling the heat, but instead of taking the action they should, supporting closing the gun show loophole, they say let's focus on mental health without giving any good reason why we shouldn't close the gun show loophole. Let's do both.

Today we are calling on the American people to create a groundswell. President Obama was exactly correct. The gridlock in Congress on guns--which befuddles almost all American people in every State, purple, red, or blue--is because the overwhelming support of the American people is not translated into action here. We are calling on the American people to raise their voices in the next few months. We are calling on the American people to write. We are calling on the American people to call. We are calling on the American people to tweet. We are calling on the American people to post on Facebook. We are calling on the American people to march and tell Washington: Enough--enough of these terrible shootings that all of us grieve over.

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Mr. SCHUMER. Let's put the other side on notice. We will get a vote on this legislation. We will use all the procedural means in our ability. Once the groundswell occurs and people on both sides of the aisle have to study the issue, they will have to vote.

We will do it either toward the end of this term or early in the next term of this Congress, and we believe we have a chance to win. The American people have said enough. A small group in the House and Senate, who are so unrepresentative of the views of their constituents, will not hold things up any longer. That is my belief. I hope and pray it becomes a reality.

I yield the floor.

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