[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 104 (Thursday, June 20, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E808]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GRACE MENG

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 20, 2019

  Ms. MENG. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate National Gun Violence 
Awareness Month. Since 2017, National Gun Violence Awareness month has 
been celebrated annually in June.
   For too long and too often we, as a nation, have mourned with yet 
another community that was tragically impacted by gun violence. This is 
one community too many. Deaths from mass shootings in the U.S. are 
increasing at an alarming rate. After Sandy Hook, over 2,086 mass 
shootings have taken lives of Americans. From the Tree of Life 
synagogue in Pittsburgh to the gurdwara in Oak Creek; from Sandy Hook 
Elementary to Stoneman Douglas High School; from the Pulse Night Club 
in Florida to the music festival shooting in Las Vegas--these places 
and events have sadly become memorialized. And there are countless more 
victims of gun violence who never made it to our news cycle.
   Gun violence is indeed an epidemic. In addition to the lives lost, 
every bullet--every gunshot--rips apart the fabric of a community. For 
all those who were faced with gun violence--there is no going back. One 
such tragedy is one too many.
   Victims of domestic abuse are especially susceptible to gun 
violence. That is why we must do all that we can to protect survivors 
of dating violence and stalking. Currently, nearly one million women 
alive today have been shot or shot at by an intimate partner. Studies 
have also shown that women experiencing situations where domestic 
abusers have access to a gun are five times as likely to be fatally 
shot. Women of color suffer from an even higher risk of death in 
similar situations.
   We cannot become desensitized to the number of deaths in the news. 
We must act now. That is why I was proud to help pass on the floor of 
the House of Representatives H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks 
Act of 2019, and H.R. 1112, the Enhanced Background Checks Act to 
ensure universal background checks and close the Charleston loophole 
that enabled the hate crime at Mother Emanuel Church. In the 100 days 
of Senate's inaction and refusal to allow these bills a vote on the 
Senate floor, 233 New Yorkers were killed by gun violence. This--and 
every incident of gun violence--is a travesty.
   No one should live their lives in constant fear. No parent should 
have to fear for their children as their kids go to school. No one 
should fear if their presence in a place of worship or a theatre makes 
them vulnerable.
   Madam Speaker, as we mark National Gun Violence Awareness Month, we 
must be even more emboldened to demand change now. We need to remind 
the nation--including our policymakers--of the lives that have been 
taken by gun violence and the urgent need for commonsense gun violence 
prevention. I call on my colleagues in the Senate to pass H.R. 8 today. 
While National Gun Violence Awareness Month occurs in June, we must 
fight every single day of the year to prevent the countless deaths 
caused by the lack of gun restrictions. Thoughts and prayers are 
meaningless without critical action. Enough is enough.

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