National Gun Violence Awareness Month

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful to be here to co- anchor this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour for the month of June. I thank my esteemed colleague and dear friend, Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan, a Democrat from Virginia's Fourth District, for her outstanding leadership and for leading this incredible hour.

Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight during National Gun Violence Awareness Month not just with sorrow but with a sense of urgency. I rise tonight during the National Gun Violence Awareness Month to shake the core of our very beings.

I want to be abundantly clear that this is not about taking away anyone's Second Amendment right to bear arms. Mr. Speaker, don't be fooled by the gun manufacturers that want to continue to put profits over people, over children, and over people's lives.

I am from the South. I am a gun enthusiast. I do believe in the Second Amendment, but I am a responsible gun owner. I am trained to use my firearm. I understand the importance of proper storage, protection, and training. I understand the importance of having reasonable waiting periods and the importance of being familiar with your weapon and making sure it is never left where children or untrained people can gain access.

Yes, the Second Amendment stands, but our common sense stands, too. We must protect communities and make sure that firearms never find their way into the hands of people who are ill-trained, who have ill intent, and who seek to cause the damage that we have seen with our mass shootings.

For far too long, our Nation has tolerated an epidemic that is killing our children, our friends, and our future. Gun violence has ravaged this country. While every American feels the impact, Black communities bear the brunt. Black communities die from gun violence at 2.7 times the rate of our White counterparts. Let me say that again: 2.7 times the rate.

Over 13,300 Black lives are lost every year to gun violence. That is not a statistic. That is our sons, our daughters, our neighbors, and our church members. That is an entire generation lost.

In 2023 alone, firearm homicides in Black communities rose by over 23 percent, suicides by 50 percent, and unintentional shootings by 11 percent. These are not isolated tragedies. This is a pattern, a crisis, an epidemic.

Yet, this Congress remains stuck in neutral. It has been 3 years since the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was signed into law by President Biden.

Did I say bipartisan? Yes, it was bipartisan. I voted for it. I stood proudly with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to take this important step.

Let's be honest. It was just that, one step. It was a step that needs to be followed up with more steps, more action, more help, and more signals that we are bigger and better than the gun lobby.

Since then, since that one step, mass shootings have surged. Right now, families are afraid to go to the mall, the movie theater, schools, grocery stores, concerts, and places of worship. No one feels safe because, oftentimes, nowhere is safe.

The Gun Violence Archive has already reported that 133 mass shootings have happened this year, and it is only the first week of June.

Every shooting leaves behind a shattered family, a traumatized community, and a ripple effect that lasts generations.

Let's be clear. Black Americans are not just victims of community violence. We are also disproportionately impacted by rogue police violence, police shootings, and shootings of unarmed men and women, often young people.

The truth can't be ignored when we talk about gun violence in our country. Accountability must be a part of our reform.

We know that thoughts and prayers after these tragedies are important and powerful, too, but words alone can't do it. We must put our well- wishes and our prayers into action.

I recognize that at this moment, we demand action because words alone won't stop a bullet. I know that being silent wouldn't stop a bullet. I know being complicit won't stop a bullet. I know pointing fingers won't stop a bullet. I know running from the scoring of the NRA won't stop a bullet.

I know what can stop a bullet. It is men and women in this body standing up together and saying that enough is enough. That is because these lives are not just Black, not just White, not just Democrat, not just Independent, and not just Republican. They are Americans. They are our children, our seniors, and our neighbors. They are our friends, and they are our colleagues.

Wake up. This is not about us against them. This is about us fighting an epidemic. It is an epidemic that is literally killing our community.

Today, I said to my colleagues across the aisle, do not look away. Come to the table. Work with us. The cost of inaction is measured in lives lost in our neighborhoods, in our classrooms, and in our communities across the country.

To my Republican colleagues, do not look away. Do not wait until the next shooting is in your neighborhood. Do not wait until it is your constituent, your relative, your friend, your fraternity brother, your sorority sister, your neighbor, your colleague, your loved one.

Mass shooters don't care about your party. They don't care about your socioeconomic status. Unfortunately, they often think of hate based by race, based by who you are, by who you choose to love, by who you choose to worship.

This is America, and these are all things that are a part of our strength. Let's not allow them to push us into the corner and fight against each other. We should not live like this. Gun violence is not a political issue. It is a human issue.

The time for reform is not tomorrow. The time for reform is not next year. The time for reform is now, and the people who must do it are us.

Let's rise to this moment. Let's demonstrate to the American people that while Republicans and Democrats may disagree philosophically on many things, let us agree that gun violence is no way for Americans to have to live.

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