OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Reflecting on Gun Violence Prevention Month 2023

Floor Speech

Date: July 6, 2023
Location: Washington, DC

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to look back on Gun Violence Prevention Month. During this time of mourning and remembrance, I have had near constant nightmarish images in mind. Images of human carnage in the aftermath of shootings involving military-style assault weapons like the ones we now witness on a regular, predictable basis.

Families are unable to simply run errands on the weekends or interact with their neighbors without fear of losing their lives.

And yet, most of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle tolerate this uniquely American carnage without hesitation.

We know that the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban was effective at reducing crime and getting these military-style weapons off our streets.

And we know that after the ban was dropped, between 2015 and 2022, mass shootings where an assault weapon was used accounted for a third of all mass shooting deaths and more than 80 percent of all injuries.

AR-15s and other assault weapons are the tool of choice by gunmen in nearly all of the 10 deadliest mass shootings since 2015, including the gunman in Uvalde, Texas, who shot and killed 19 children and 2 teachers in their elementary school.

This is a crisis of law and order. We must return safety to our streets.

Gun violence leaves a mark on each individual and community it impacts, and it spares none of our constituents. It also spares none of our minds these days as we await news of the next atrocity.

May we find the political courage to do better for you. For our brave first responders and law enforcement officers. For our kids. For our devastated communities across this nation.

By using our power as legislators, we can create a safer society where individuals can exercise their rights responsibly, while also curbing the senseless loss of innocent lives. It's time to prioritize human lives over political divisions and enact the change that our communities so desperately need.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT


Source
arrow_upward