Providing for Consideration of H.R. Federal Information Systems Safeguards Act of and Providing for Consideration of Motions to Suspend the Rules

Floor Speech

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Mr. GALLEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the previous question so that the House can consider legislation to close an outrageous legal loophole that allows known terrorists to purchase deadly weapons.

Mr. Speaker, I am a United States Marine. I carried an M16A4 in Iraq, and I know something about firearms. I know that marines go into battle armed with these weapons because they are an effective tool for killing people.

I know that military-style weapons fire rounds at velocities exceeding 3,000 feet per second. And as a surgeon in Orlando said, ``the bullets have more energy to them--more speed--so they cause more tissue injury.'' I know that causing more tissue injury is the very point of these weapons.

I know that high-capacity magazines enable shooters to kill more people before law enforcement can stop them. I also know that these magazines have no useful purpose for hunting or for sports shooting.

I know that, despite all of this, House Republicans oppose keeping assault rifles and high-capacity magazines off our streets. Incredibly, they even oppose legislation that would prevent terrorists who want to kill Americans from purchasing military-style weapons.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I know that it is shameful and horrifying that children in America today conduct active-shooter drills in their classrooms. I know it is shameful and horrifying that, in the wake of Orlando, some of our LGBT brothers and sisters still live in fear in the 21st century. And I know that it's within our power to stop the carnage in our communities by passing commonsense gun violence legislation.

Let's defeat the previous question, and let's finally get serious about ending the epidemic of gun violence in America.

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