Reduce the Scourge of Gun Violence

Floor Speech

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Ms. PINGREE. Mr. Speaker, last week, a few days after my colleagues and I sat down right here in the House to demand action on legislation to reduce gun violence, I went home to Maine. I heard from so many of my constituents who asked: Is something finally going to happen in Washington on this issue?

Well, I don't have a crystal ball, and we live in an unpredictable time, so that is a hard question to answer. But it was especially hard to answer last week when the person asking was the daughter of the principal who was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School or the parents of a young woman shot and killed in Maine by a handgun that had been sold without a background check.

The question was not just for me; it was for all of us. Will we finally do something to reduce the scourge of gun violence that is sweeping this country? Will we finally do something to limit access to guns by criminals and suspected terrorists?

Erica wants to know because her mother was killed by an assault rifle as she protected students at Sandy Hook. Judi and Wayne want to know because their daughter was shot with a handgun while she slept in her apartment.

Mr. Speaker, I hope our answer is yes.

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