Members Mocking Gun Violence By Wearing Assault Rifle Pins

Floor Speech

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Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, last week was National Gun Violence Survivors Week, when we reflect on the toll that gun violence takes on all of us.

It is disgraceful enough that our Republican colleagues are unwilling to confront gun violence as the leading cause of death among American children, but last week, several Members of this body chose to mock the somber week by wearing assault rifle pins.

Those Members paraded through the Halls of Congress and on this floor, celebrating the weapon of choice for military combatants, mass murderers, and those who have fetishized the Second Amendment.

This shameless gesture was received loud and clear by Americans, including a mother in my district who recently lost her son to gun violence.

She called my office after seeing those Members, distraught by their casual cruelty and their dangerous promotion of violence.

I rise today as the voice in Congress for that brokenhearted mother to make this very clear: House Democrats are united in the fight to end senseless gun violence. We want to advance real solutions, and we will always stand up to extremist behavior that threatens the safety of our communities. Recognizing Betsy Walls, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Trailblazer

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Ms. SCANLON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a constituent whose decades of public health service have made our community stronger.

Betsy Walls is being recognized by the CDC and Prevention as a public health emergency preparedness trailblazer from Pennsylvania. She is one of 48 Americans being recognized for their tireless work to protect our communities from a range of public health threats.

Betsy's distinguished career in serving her community includes serving as a flight nurse for the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, where she retired as a lieutenant colonel; she spent 30 years at Delaware County Memorial Hospital, first as a staff nurse, then a head nurse, then an evening supervisor, and, finally, as director of staff education; and she served as director of personal health at the Chester County Health Department for 18 years.

Betsy's commitment to ensuring our community is ready and able to respond to disasters has touched thousands of lives. Our community owes Betsy Walls an enormous debt of gratitude for the strong foundation she has built to keep our communities strong and healthy for years to come.

Recognizing Philadelphia Eagles Changemaker Award Winner, Dr. Ruth Abaya

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Ms. SCANLON. The Philadelphia Eagles are headed to the Super Bowl this weekend, and I want to recognize the team's 2022 Inspire Change Changemaker Award winner, Dr. Ruth Abaya, an emergency physician at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a scholar of the hospital's Center for Violence Prevention.

As our country works to tackle gun violence, Dr. Abaya is on the front lines, treating this issue like the public health crisis that it is.

In her role as program manager for the Injury Prevention Program at Philadelphia's Department of Health, she is helping to identify the most promising practices for violence prevention and intervention for young people in our region.

A public health approach to gun violence requires a comprehensive, multifaceted response driven by research and data. It means a focus on prevention, in addition to treatment. Dr. Abaya's work is moving us toward the solutions we need to face this crisis head-on and give our children brighter futures.

I am grateful for Dr. Abaya's dedication to making our community a safer place for everyone and to the Philadelphia Eagles for their support for her program.

This weekend, go Birds.

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