I Cannot Be Silent

Floor Speech

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Mr. AGUILAR. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to call attention to the issue of gun violence that has seized our Nation. A little over a month ago, my hometown of San Bernardino fell victim to gun violence and was added to a list that no community wants to join: Aurora, Newtown, Chattanooga, Charleston, and the list goes on. And that is the problem, the list goes on.

The only action Congress has taken to address the epidemic of gun violence has been to hold moments of silence in honor of their memory. As a father of two young boys and as San Bernardino's voice in Congress, I cannot be silent.

We owe it to our communities, from San Bernardino to Newtown, to do something. As one of the family members mentioned earlier in the week: ``Congress has offered their thoughts and prayers, but thoughts and prayers are cheap when you have the power they have.''

While one single law could not have prevented the horrific events in San Bernardino, that doesn't justify a refusal to take action to make our communities safer.

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