Gun Violence

Floor Speech

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to anchor the CBC Special Order. I would like to thank CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond for his leadership in this effort. Chairman Richmond has been leading this effort and raising the question about when the President said what do we have to lose. The chairman indicated that we have a lot to lose.

So for the next 60 minutes, we have an opportunity to speak directly to the American people about issues of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus and the millions of constituents we represent. Tonight's Special Order is about gun violence. I thank my colleagues for joining me here today to speak about the national epidemic of gun violence, an important topic to us all.

The Black community is at a critical time because we have a lot to lose because too many of our neighbors, unfortunately, have been subject to gun violence at a consistent rate, a crime which often goes unpunished because of unreliable witnesses.

On February 14, this Nation once again witnessed a horrific tragedy that took place at a high school in Florida. Seventeen lives were taken at the hands of a gunman with way too much firepower. The horror and tragedy that shook the Florida high school should be an unimaginable event in our country. Yet, tragically, our Nation has lost too many loved ones at the hands of gun violence, to the point where we often see the same reaction: hand wringing, blaming going around, but nothing being done to stop the violence.

The city of Philadelphia knows all too well the lives we have lost at the hands of gun violence. In 2017, we saw the city experience its largest homicide epidemic since 2012. There were over 370 homicides in Philadelphia, according to the data from the Philadelphia Police Department.

And with the continuing scourge of gun violence in Philadelphia, last year I hand-delivered a letter to Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro outlining our Commonwealth's need to use all resources possible to advocate for commonsense gun reform. Since I handed that letter to the Commonwealth's attorney general, we have had more heartbreaks in America, including the unspeakable tragedy at a church, a place of worship and refuge, in Texas, and the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Mr. Speaker, there is a gentleman who is our leader from our Caucus who will speak to this issue. He knows an awful lot about it. I have watched him in the short period of time I have been here: the Honorable James Clyburn from the Sixth District.

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, may I ask the gentleman a question.

If the gentleman could just talk a little more about that magic he talked about and how do we get there. Does the gentleman have any sense of how we get there?

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments.

Mr. Speaker, you just heard the gentleman from South Carolina, in my view, lay out a very clear vision of what it should be like from an aspirational standpoint.

Speaking of the leader of the Congressional Black Caucus leading the conscience of this body, the gentleman from the great State of Louisiana, he knows a little bit about that--from my understanding, there is legislation that he has--and that is Chairman Cedric Richmond from the Second District of Louisiana.

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, before the gentleman leaves, being that this is the 50th anniversary of Dr. King's assassination, I would ask the gentleman, to the point that he raises about the moments of silence, if we look back and look where we are today, are we any closer to addressing these moments of silence, because I hear frustration in his voice?

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for laying out that eloquent statement.

Next is someone who is from the great State of Illinois, who, since I have been here, has been relentless on this issue, particularly from an inner-city standpoint, an urban standpoint. I have watched her over and over again constantly stand up and make comments, and I wonder if she thinks anybody is listening, but I am going to give her that opportunity to say a few things here this evening.

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask just one question to the gentlewoman from Illinois, who has been speaking to this issue a lot.

Does the gentlewoman have any sense of optimism of people hearing her in any way? Does she see any signs?

I mean, she just ticked off some information. What are her thoughts about change around here?

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I have someone who I have had the utmost respect for. He smiles. I told him he could get elected in Pennsylvania. He is from the great State of Mississippi. I don't want to shock the people of Mississippi. He is not leaving Mississippi.

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the gentleman, since I have never seen this thing called an AR-15, can he describe what this gun looks like?

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Mr. EVANS. Yes.

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I thought the gentleman gave a really clear sense of what the challenge is and what we face today.

Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, coming behind the gentleman from Mississippi, we have someone who knows a little bit about weaponry. She herself has a background. She was the police chief in Orlando. And since she and I are in the same class, I have learned a lot from her.

And coming behind the gentleman from Mississippi, who laid some things out here, is someone who has run a police department, and she couldn't be a better person for us to have come. I yield to the gentlewoman from the State of Florida (Mrs. Demings), from the 10th District.

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask my colleague from Florida a question, since she talked about her law enforcement background. And she is correct, Congress is to make laws.

This Presidential administration talks about being law and order. Is he really law and order and on the side of the police if this is happening and running amok? I mean, if you were police chief and you had that responsibility of protecting people--and we in Congress, as was stated by the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, the moments of silence. If you were on the front line again, you were out there, and you still know a lot of the people who are part of the police departments, how do you think the police departments feel when they are outgunned and the challenges that they have? Can you talk a little bit about that?

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I have someone who, when I came here, I said I have to meet her. She is a very dynamic person. She is the Honorable Barbara Lee from the 13th Congressional District of California, and I yield to the gentlewoman.

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I think showing those pictures, if anything, should get our point across. I hope that those pictures will send a message to all of us.

Closing out tonight--and I think all our colleagues really just summed up this gun violence issue--is someone who, again, I have known well and admired, the Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee from the 18th District of Texas.

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