Calling for A Vote on Behalf of the Victims

Floor Speech

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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, I am Rosa DeLauro from the State of Connecticut. I represent the Third Congressional District.

I am so proud today to join with my colleagues on the issue of what do we do in the United States Congress, the body that deliberates the major issues of the day, the body that is entrusted by the people who put their faith and trust in their elected representatives to do right, to do right by the American people, yes, to keep them and their families safe.

In Connecticut, gun homicides in 2013 were 71; in 2014, 56--we went down; 2015, 79. Probably one of the most searing events in the United States of America was the massacre of children, of babies in Sandy Hook. That isn't to say that in every city in this country children are not dying every day. Since Sandy Hook, one American child is killed every single day. These are our children. Almost 100,000 have died by gun violence since Sandy Hook.

What I would like to do is to read to you the names of victims at Sandy Hook. These are not what we are here today to speak about. Yes, we talk about statistics and we talk about percentages, but what is important is to know about the flesh and blood behind those numbers.

At Sandy Hook:

Rachel D'Avino, 29, a teacher's aide.

Dawn Hochsprung, 47, principal of Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Ann Marie Murphy, 52, a teacher's aide.

Lauren Rousseau, 30, a teacher.

Mary Sherlach, 56, school psychologist.

Victoria Leigh Soto, 27, a teacher who hid her children in a closet. And I know, because she was a constituent, her family today suffers every day because of her loss. She shielded these babies, and she lost her life.

And who are these babies?

Charlotte Bacon, 6 years old.

Daniel Barden, 7.

Olivia Engel, 6.

Josephine Gay, 7.

Dylan Hockley, 6.

Madeleine Hsu, 6.

Catherine Hubbard, 6.

Chase Kowalski, 7.

Jesse Lewis, 6.

Ana Marquez-Greene, 6.

James Mattioli, 6.

Grace McDonnell, 7.

Emilie Parker, 6.

Jack Pinto, 6.

Noah Pozner, 6.

Caroline Previdi, 6.

Jessica Rekos, 6.

Avielle Richman, 6.

Benjamin Wheeler, 6.

Allison Wyatt, 6.

We all have children. We have grandchildren. And I won't forget that day because my grandchildren at that time were 5, 6, 7, and 8 years old. I had to steel myself to be away from them because when I looked at them I just began to cry, because it can be anyone's child, anyone's grandchild who will lose their life.

One child every single day is killed by gun violence in the United States of America. They leave families, they leave siblings who are unable to even cope with the sense of loss. These families have tried to channel their grief by the Newtown Promise.

Why are we here today? We are here today to say: universal background checks; no fly, no buy. It is as simple as that.

And for me personally, as my colleague from Rhode Island said, we should ban assault weapons. We should ban them. That is what occurred at Sandy Hook and several other of these tragedies.

The American people sent us here to vote. That is what you have done, demand that this Congress vote on this issue. Debate it and vote, and people can be free to vote whatever way they choose to, but our Constitution says we vote on these issues.

We should not be denied. Those children all over America, the adults, should not be forgotten. They should be remembered and that this body was allowed to vote on their behalf.

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