Advocating for Progressive Policies for Our Veterans

Floor Speech

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Mr. DELUZIO. Madam Speaker, it is, of course, an honor for all of us to serve here, but, of course, maybe no greater honor than to stand up for our fellow veterans.

I think this country has a sacred obligation to care for all who served. I am proud of my time in uniform, and I often talk about a simple lesson I learned in the Navy: ship, shipmate, self. You put the mission and the country first. You put others before yourself. I think that is fundamentally at the heart of the ethos of service.

I come from western Pennsylvania where so many homes and families have a picture of someone who has worn the uniform, someone who has served or shares the values of hard work and patriotism and sacrifice. It is pretty common but becoming a little rarer for us maybe to talk about it as we should.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for convening us for this important fight for veterans. It is so central to our work here in the House and certainly in this Congress.

This work should be bipartisan in so many ways, and I think it often is, not always, but it often is. I introduced a bill with colleagues from both sides of the aisle, Saving Our Veterans Lives Act, which is about us putting together a coalition to tackle the crisis, the problem of veteran suicide. It has got a coalition that I think tells you it can succeed, from gun safety groups to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and Veterans Service Organizations. That is a coalition that is broad, that tells you this is a serious effort.

What this bill would do is authorize a VA program to give free firearm lockboxes to veterans who want them. This is something that we know can save veterans' lives. We have seen that if you limit the ease by which someone at risk, someone in crisis can get to their gun, you prevent suicide deaths. We know that firearms are the most common means used by my fellow veterans to die by suicide. We should take some action like this.

Madam Speaker, 73 percent of male veteran suicide deaths and more than half, 52 percent of female, are with firearms. Those rates greatly exceed those for nonveterans.

A little bit more than half of veterans report owning one or more guns themselves. Of those, more than half report storing it loaded or unsecured.

I think this intervention can be one that can save veterans' lives and earn support on both sides of the aisle.

Madam Speaker, I was proud to introduce the Save Our Veterans Lives Act. It is a simple, straightforward, bipartisan idea, a commonsense one, to save lives and to fight back against veteran suicide. Something that I think we all share as a priority.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Illinois for her leadership on these issues.

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