Call for Senate to Act After Fresno Mass Shooting

Floor Speech

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Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, it saddens me once again to hear another mass shooting has occurred in our country, this time in my district.

Last night, in Fresno, California, another senseless mass shooting occurred, where four people lost their lives and six more were injured. This happened at a family gathering in a neighborhood not far from the airport near Fresno, where 35 or more people were gathered.

Children were present at this meaningless act while they were watching a football game. While none of the children were harmed, certainly their lives will be changed forever as a result of the trauma they experienced last night.

I have reached out to local law enforcement, and we are ready to assist in any way possible. I have spoken with the mayor and the chief of police.

Certainly, our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families, but as a community and as a country, thoughts and prayers are just not enough. The daily tragedy of gun violence continues to inflict terror and violence on individuals and neighborhoods across our country, and that is a fact.

The threat to public safety is not normal, nor should it be seen as acceptable. It is unacceptable.

My office has been working with community leaders to identify resources for those affected, such as counseling, mental health support, victims' compensation, and community outreach.

This is in a neighborhood where a great deal of Southeast Asian families live. These are immigrants past and immigrants present. They came after the Vietnam war, where they stood shoulder to shoulder with Americans fighting in that conflict. They have been assimilating and contributing to our community in Fresno and throughout the valley.

Americans and members of our community deserve real action to keep them safe. In February, the House passed meaningful bipartisan gun safety legislation that Senator Mitch McConnell refuses to bring up in the Senate. This legislation, combined with State and local efforts, would help make a difference. It is not a silver bullet, clearly. Bad term. Let me take that back because there are way too many guns and too many bullets out there.

Republicans and Democrats have good and different ideas on how to deal with gun violence in America. Wouldn't it be refreshing if the President were to bring us together in a bipartisan effort to talk about violence in America and solutions on how we deal with violence in America because no community, no town, no hamlet, regardless of the size, is not impacted by the gun violence that takes place every day?

The fact remains that too many Americans in too many communities are forced to live in fear. I know. I live near this downtown community where, nightly, you can hear guns going off. Last night, one of the neighbors said they are fearful of even working on their car in front of their home or when people drive by.

Americans should not be forced to live in that kind of fear in their neighborhoods. It is not right. The Senate must allow a vote on a bipartisan, commonsense gun violence prevention program. The House acted on that legislation 260 days ago--260 days ago.

We must come together in our community in Fresno. I spoke with the mayor and talked about figuring out ways to bring our community together with local law enforcement agencies and community organizations to help us heal.

The question is, how many more American lives must be lost to senseless violence before action is taken? That is the question we must ask.

I will do everything I can to promote safety in our neighborhoods.

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