Women and Children Lost by Gun Violence

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I rise yet again because Americans are dying in our movie theaters, city parks, on street corners, and in elementary school classrooms. Even our homes and relationships aren't safe.

A new CDC report found that half of all murdered women are killed by a partner or an ex-partner. Guns are their weapon of choice.

Mr. Speaker, the report found that 5,234 American women have been killed by husbands, boyfriends, or exes with guns.

Has this Congress acted? No. Three American women are shot and killed by an abuser every day. Congress does nothing.

This year, 352 Americans have already been lost to gun-related domestic violence. Congress does nothing. Felons buy guns online; abusers get weapons without background checks. Congress still does nothing. Convicted stalkers legally purchase guns in 29 States, yet, still again, this Congress does nothing.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to read some quotes from brave women who called the National Domestic Violence Hotline--women in danger, women fearing for their lives, women that this Congress has ignored in order to cater to the NRA.

One survivor said: ``Abuser threatened our young child that he would shoot the entire family and maybe others.''

Another survivor said: ``He never fired the pistol, but he would sit on my chest and point it at my head. He would put it right next to my temple.''

The NRA doesn't think there is a problem. They think it is politically motivated and claims victims manipulate ``emotionally compelling issues such as `domestic violence' and `stalking' simply to cast as wide a net as possible for Federal firearm prohibitions.''

Are you kidding me?

Victim No. 103, Amber White, 32.
Victim 104, Korinda Rodriguez, 32, killed on her way to work.
105, Jabria Hall, 23.
106, Lauren Walker, 32.
107, Karen Smith, 53, a teacher. Her estranged husband killed her and her 8-year-old student, Jonathan Martinez.
108, Trini Do, 29, killed with four family members at her son's eleventh birthday party.
109, Kathleen Grimes, 54.
110, April Bailey, 39.
111, Zina Daniel, 42, killed with two others when her abusive and estranged husband bought a gun from Armslist, walked into a spa, and started shooting.
Victim 112, Emily Young, 24. Her husband had twice admitted to domestic violence charges, but he had a gun.
113, Ashley Hicks, 23.
114, Latina Verneta Herring, 35, killed along with her 8-year-old son, Branden, because of a fight over car keys.
115, Lidia Juarez, 37.
116, Fannie McWhite, 61.
117, Tracy Judd, 33, and her 23-month-old daughter.
118, Amber Weigel, 25, and her 2-year-old daughter, both killed because the father didn't want to pay child support.
119, Tania Adams, 41, a mother of three boys.
120, Gladys Tordil, 44, murdered in a high school parking lot in front of her daughter.
121, Karla Ayde-Garcia Arellano, 25.
122, Jitka Vesel, 36, shot at least 11 times by a boyfriend who bought a gun in Washington and drove to Illinois.
123, Rashanda Franklin, 29.
Victim 124, Tammy Mattison, 49.
125, Jennifer Krieger, 44, killed along with her 14-year-old daughter Kelsie.
126, Camille Thompson, 26, murdered with her two young children in the car.
127, Mary Shipstone, 7 years old, shot by her father while at a safe house.
Kate Allen, 43, killed with her two 10-year-old children at a Cracker Barrel. It was her daughter Kerri's 10th birthday.
Courtney Price McKinney, 22.
Maria McIntosh, 19, killed alongside her father and her sister.
Crystal Hamilton, 29.
Officer Ashley Guindon, 28, was also killed responding to Crystal's call. It was her second day of work.
Nalisha Gravely, 19.
Ernestina Lara Chaires, 44, killed while trying to escape her abuser.
Rachel Naomi Peters, 32.
Cara Russel, 52.
Sandra Smith, 42, killed alongside her 15-year-old son Daniel.
Olga Neubert, 37.
Elizabeth Rodriguez, 26.
Tabitha Apling, 33.
Michelle Morris, 50.
Laura Aceves, 21.
Kathy Edwards, 53.
Alejandra Hernandez, 28.
Jamila Odom, 41.
Ashley Hasti, 31, the first victim in a Minnesota-to-California mass shooting that ended on the campus of UCLA.
Maria Guadalupe Sobrevilla, 58.
Joyce Haynes, 41.
Amanda Colley, 36. Her murderer was on probation for violation of the protective order against him.
Larissa Barros, 18.

Mr. Speaker, we failed these women and their families.

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