[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 3, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H2411-H2415]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH
(Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, the
gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. McClellan) is recognized for 60 minutes
as the designee of the minority leader.)
General Leave
Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include any extraneous material on the subject of this Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today
to co-anchor this Congressional Black Caucus Special Order hour, along
with my distinguished colleague from Louisiana (Mr. Carter).
For the next 60 minutes, members of CBC have the opportunity to speak
directly to the American people on Gun Violence Awareness Month. It is
an issue of great importance to the Congressional Black Caucus,
Congress, and the constituents we represent.
Mr. Speaker, on March 7, 2023, I stood in the well and took my oath
of office into this body. My children stood with me. My then 13-year-
old son, who was very excited, impressed some people with his dance
moves.
Less than a week later, my son, Jackson, showed up at school to find
out one of his classmates was dead. He had killed himself accidentally
using a loaded gun as a prop to film a music video. My son was
devastated.
He was devastated again when 2 months later the school year abruptly
came to an end when Shawn Jackson was shot and killed minutes after
receiving his high school diploma.
These are 2 of the 46,728 people who died from gun-related injuries
in 2023 alone. They were among the average 13,300 Black Americans who
die of gun violence every single year.
Sierra Jenkins, Jahiem Dickerson, Devon Harris, Samiyah Yellardy,
Tyshawn White, Jaiden Carter, Kenneth Cooper, Markiya Dickson, and
Lorenzo Smith are just some of the names of people whose lives were
ended by gun violence. Some were on purpose. Some were by their own
hand. Some were accidental.
Too many of our communities are disproportionately impacted by this
violence. We cannot allow this violence to become normalized. We must
stand together to advance commonsense gun safety legislation, invest in
community violence intervention programs, and address the root causes
of gun violence.
Year after year, we go back to our districts. We go to vigils. We
watch the news. We see tragedies. We come back here. We stand for a
moment of silence. We give our thoughts and prayers. Nothing changes.
The overwhelming consensus of the American people is that we have to do
something.
As a State legislator, I focused on addressing the root causes of gun
violence. I thought there would be bipartisan support for that. To a
certain extent, there was.
{time} 2020
I championed investment in the creation of a Firearm Violence
Intervention and Prevention Fund with Delegate Marcia Price from
Newport News when I was in the State senate. This program and fund
would provide a pathway to research demographics and trends and
implement evidence-based solutions to address the root causes of gun
violence.
That is because gun violence in Richmond, Virginia, is different from
gun violence in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is different from gun
violence in New York City. It is different from gun violence in Newark,
New Jersey. We need to get at the root causes.
For too many of our young people, the root causes are that access to
guns is very easy and that they weren't taught to regulate emotions.
Things that in my age were settled on the playground with a fist are
now settled with a gun. Mr. Speaker, you can call someone a name on
social media, and the next thing you know, you are shot dead. We need
to do something to address that gun violence.
I was proud to come to Congress to try to continue to work on that,
but in April, the Trump administration terminated nearly 400 grants
from the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs that
support everything from victim services to substance use, from mental
health treatment to juvenile justice and child protection.
These are grants that were used to address the root causes of gun
violence in our communities. There have been deep cuts to the Community
Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative, the largest source of
Federal funding
[[Page H2412]]
for community violence intervention, funding authorized by Congress in
2022 that has invested $300 million in community violence programming
and research. Now, about one-half of those investments have been cut.
All this does is invite tragedy back into our communities. We can't
let it happen.
As far as Black people and the communities that we represent, we are
only 14 percent of the U.S. population, but we represent 60 percent of
all firearm homicide victims. A Black person in America is 11.5 times
more likely to die from gun violence.
While gun violence became the leading cause of death of all children
for the first time in 2020, it has been the leading cause of death for
Black children since 2006.
We must do more. We must do more because I can't tell you, Mr.
Speaker, how difficult it is when every time there is a mass shooting,
every time someone is shot going to the grocery store, playing in a
park, going to the movie theater, turning in the wrong driveway,
showing up at school after graduation, on and on, every time it
happens, my son and my daughter look at me, and they ask: Am I next?
Do you know how difficult that is, Mr. Speaker? Do you know how hard
it is, Mr. Speaker, when your children who know someone who has died
from gun violence have to spend their days in school in active shooter
drills rather than learning?
Enough is enough, Mr. Speaker. We must do more. Thoughts and prayers
are not enough.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter), my
colleague from New Orleans.
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.
{time} 2030
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.
Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, Claudia Quaatey, a 16-year-old who
dreamed of becoming a nurse, killed by gun violence.
Cecilia Thomas, a 5-month-old, shot and killed in Chicago, a 5-month
old.
I now yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Kelly).
Ms. KELLY of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative McClellan
and Representative Carter for inviting me to speak tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today because there is a gun violence epidemic in
America.
I have spoken loudly and clearly on gun safety again and again and
again, shooting after shooting. Moments of silence have never been
enough.
[[Page H2413]]
Thoughts and prayers have never been enough.
Americans need real action by Congress to end gun violence. That
means universal background checks, funding and support for community
violence intervention organizations, safe storage laws to prevent
unintentional shootings, and an assault weapons ban.
We know the solution is to end gun violence, and yet the Trump
administration and this legislative body refuses to act. Instead,
President Trump and Republicans reversed the progress we have made
these past few years.
On day one in the Oval Office, President Trump shut the doors of the
White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Since then, he continues
to pour salt into injury after injury.
The Department of Justice terminated over $66 million in grants that
were already designated by Congress to community violence intervention
programs.
CVI organizations are led by trusted community members who offer job
training, mental health resources, de-escalation tactics, and more to
keep our neighborhoods safe.
CVI strategies are proven, evidence-based solutions to gun violence,
and yet the Trump administration decided they are inefficient.
House Republicans are complicit in the Trump agenda to endanger
public safety. In the dead of night, Republicans added a provision to
their budget that would deregulate gun silencers, allowing any and all
private sales of silencers. The deregulation of gun silencers is
reckless and outrageous. Silencers are not something out of a movie.
They cause real pain in our communities.
In 2019, a gunman attached a silencer to a handgun that he used to
kill 12 people in Virginia Beach. Survivors of the shooting said they
did not flee because they didn't identify the muffled sounds as
gunshots.
If the cost of American lives does not move my colleagues across the
aisle, then perhaps they will be attentive to the fact that the
deregulation of silencers will cost American taxpayers nearly $3
billion. Americans cannot afford the cost of gun violence, not in
dollars, in pain, or in grief. Black Americans, in particular, bear a
disproportionate weight of that grief.
This past weekend, I joined survivors of gun violence in an
environmentally-friendly balloon release to honor the 46,000 lives lost
to gun violence every year. They have lost daughters and sons, nephews
and nieces, siblings, mothers and fathers to gun violence.
One daughter's name is Hadiya Pendleton. Hadiya was a bright student
involved in marching band and volleyball. She was on top of the world
when she led her marching band in President Obama's second
inauguration. Just one week later, she was shot and killed in a park
in Chicago.
Hadiya should have turned 28 years old yesterday. Hadiya's friends
and family started the Wear Orange movement to raise awareness of gun
violence. Now the orange color has become a beacon for activity and
advocacy against gun violence.
Since they started the Wear Orange movement in 2015, I have
introduced the Wear Orange Resolution every year to honor Hadiya.
I ran for office because I couldn't stand by and watch as Congress
did nothing as children like Hadiya were ripped away from families.
While gun violence became the leading cause of death for all children
and teenagers in 2020, it has been the leading cause of death for Black
children since 2006.
I swore my first oath of office just 3 months after Hadiya was shot
in the Second District. Since then, I have never, ever stopped fighting
for her, and I will never stop until we end gun violence once and for
all.
Ms. McCLELLAN. T'Yonna Major, a 9-year-old gymnast until gun violence
cut her life short.
Kingston Campbell, a 6-year-old killed when shooters were firing into
his home.
They can't speak for themselves. We speak for them.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Clarke),
Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Ms. CLARKE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Jennifer
McClellan and Congressman Troy Carter for anchoring the Congressional
Black Caucus Special Order hour.
I rise tonight with my colleagues of the CBC to recognize Gun
Violence Awareness Month and to bring attention to the impact of gun
violence on Black communities around our Nation.
For decades, gun violence has been an epidemic that has had
disproportionate and devastating impacts on Black communities. In fact,
the facts are sobering and clear. On average, more than 13,000 Black
people die from gun violence each year. In the United States, Black
Americans die from gun violence at nearly three times the rate of White
Americans.
In 2023, firearm homicides against Black Americans rose over 23
percent. In that same year, firearm suicides in Black communities
increased 50 percent, and unintentional shooting deaths rose 11
percent. In the 5 years since the police murders of George Floyd and
Breonna Taylor, police shootings of Black Americans have continued to
rise.
These are not simply statistics. These are the heartbreaking stories
of tragedy and loss that should shake our collective conscience as
Americans of goodwill.
From the racist murder of nine parishioners at the Mother Emanuel AME
Church in Charleston, South Carolina, to the racist mass shooting at
the Tops grocery store in Buffalo, New York, that claimed the lives of
10 people, to countless police shootings of unarmed Black men, women,
and children, our Nation has, unfortunately, bore witness to far too
many horrific acts of gun violence against Black communities.
This crisis of gun violence requires action, not thoughts and prayers
as the American people have become far too accustomed to hearing from
many of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. Instead of
working to pass legislation to keep our communities safe from gun
violence, the Republicans included in their reconciliation package a
provision that calls for the elimination of registration and ownership
requirements for silencers that have been in place since the National
Firearms Act went into effect in 1934.
{time} 2040
By contrast, when House Democrats were in the majority in the 117th
Congress, the Congressional Black Caucus was instrumental in passing
the most significant piece of gun reform legislation in nearly 30 years
with the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was signed into law by
President Joe Biden.
With that historic legislation, we took meaningful steps to protect
our children, keep our schools safe, and reduce the overall threat of
gun violence around our country by extending background checks for
firearm purchases, clarifying licensing requirements, funding red flag
laws and crisis intervention programs, and weakening the boyfriend
loophole.
While we have made strides toward commonsense gun reform, more needs
to be done to keep our communities safe. During this National Gun
Violence Awareness Month and throughout the year, the Congressional
Black Caucus recognizes the critical need for reforming our gun safety
laws to protect all of our communities.
Our caucus remains committed to meeting this crisis with the urgency
of now to end the senseless acts of violence that take thousands of
innocent lives every year. That time for reform is now.
Ms. McCLELLAN. De'Evan McFall, he dreamed of being an NFL player
until gun violence took his life at 11.
Zahmire Lopez, he had dance moves and rap skills until gun violence
took his life at 8.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson
Coleman).
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for co-
anchoring this very important Special Order hour.
Mr. Speaker, every 7 hours, a child is killed by gunfire in the
United States. Thus far in 2025, nearly 100 American children did not
make it to their 12th birthday because they were killed by gunfire.
Every single child lost is an unfathomable tragedy. Families are
destroyed, and communities are left in anguish, but the cycle of death
and
[[Page H2414]]
grief is far more prolific in the Black community. Black Americans die
by gun violence at a rate 2.7 times greater than their White peers,
including a 50 percent increase in firearm suicides in 2023.
Communities across our country face this daily reality, but too many
powerful people here in Washington, D.C., feel too comfortably removed
from it. They will call for a moment of silence and then move on, and
nothing will happen. Rather than committing to fight this uniquely
American terror, they will find any excuse to do nothing. It is video
games. It is mental health. It is anything but guns.
Congress has the power to act to keep our young people safe from
their leading cause of death: gun violence. We also have a moral
obligation to act to free our society from the fear that comes with
dropping our children and grandchildren off at school or the mall or
the movies or even a house party.
Enough moments of silence. These moments of silence don't save a
single, solitary life.
Now is the moment in time that we must act to save our generations.
Ms. McCLELLAN. Sir'Antonio Brown, a 6-year-old killed near his Kansas
City home by guns.
King, a Georgia 9-year-old killed by another child handling an
unsecure gun.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs.
Foushee).
Mrs. FOUSHEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman McClellan and
Congressman Carter for anchoring this Special Order hour to bring
attention to one of the most pressing and pervasive challenges
confronting our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with urgency, grief, and determination
during National Gun Violence Awareness Month, a time for us to
recognize the heartbreaking toll that gun violence continues to take on
communities across the country.
I am deeply saddened that this past Sunday in my home State of North
Carolina, there was a mass shooting where at least 80 shots were fired,
killing 1 person and injuring 11 others.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Gun violence is a
public health epidemic that affects Americans and ravages communities
in every ZIP Code in every State. Yet, year after year, we see the same
devastating trend: Black Americans are dying from gun violence at
nearly three times the rate of White Americans.
Each year, more than 13,000 Black lives are lost to this epidemic.
They are mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, friends, and neighbors
whose futures are stolen, whose communities are left grieving, and
whose absence is deeply felt every single day.
Tragically, the violence does not end there. For years, Black
Americans have faced a persistent and disproportionate risk of being
killed in police encounters involving firearms. Let me be clear: No one
in America should have to fear for their lives in our schools, our
stores, our places of worship, our streets, or anywhere in our
communities.
Yet, while this crisis and disparity continues to grow across the
country, some in Congress are moving in the wrong direction. Again, my
colleagues just shared that, just a couple of weeks ago House
Republicans voted along party lines to pass the so-called One Big
Beautiful Bill Act, which included a provision to deregulate silencers.
Due to the dangers they pose, these devices have been highly regulated
for nearly 100 years, and this provision would make it easier for
individuals to use firearms with less risk of detection, further
endangering our communities already suffering from gun violence.
This is not the type of comprehensive gun reform legislation that the
American people need or deserve. A majority of Americans support
universal background checks, closing loopholes in gun sales, red flag
laws, and safe storage legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: What
are we waiting for? The oath of office that all Members of Congress
took demands that we protect the American people. Yet, every day that
we delay, lives are lost.
I urge my Republican colleagues to join House Democrats, the
Congressional Black Caucus, and the House Gun Violence Prevention Task
Force in advancing meaningful, commonsense reforms that will save
lives, reduce violence, and protect all Americans.
Ms. McCLELLAN. Jakobe Fanning, a 16-year-old killed in a South
Carolina shooting.
Izaiah, a 16-year-old in Maryland shot near his high school.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs.
McIver).
Mrs. McIVER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on an issue that has devastated
families and communities across this country: gun violence.
For years, gun violence has been an unchecked epidemic. In the Black
community, the toll has been heartbreaking and more deadly. Still, very
little meaningful action has been taken to stop the hurt.
Our communities continue to be ravaged, while too many remain silent.
We cannot continue to treat this as normal. There is nothing normal
about burying children. There is nothing normal about the weapons that
turn schools, churches, and neighborhoods into battlegrounds. I am here
for the next generation to say: They deserve better than this.
{time} 2050
They deserve a future where they never have to say enough is enough
because we will have already done what is necessary.
I, along with my CBC colleagues, will not stay silent. We will
continue to demand comprehensive gun reform, background checks, closing
loopholes, and a ban on assault weapons because our lives and our
children's lives depend on it.
The time for reform is now. Let's do what is right. Let's do what is
just. Let's do what is necessary before another name is added to
another list.
Ms. McCLELLAN. Mr. Speaker, Serabi Medina lost her mother to gun
violence, and then at 9, she was killed on her way home with ice cream
for her father, cut down by gun violence by a neighbor.
Mr. Speaker, how many more? How many more children on the way to
school, at school, at the bus stop, at the grocery store, in the park,
in front of their house, in bed? How many more? How many more children
have to die before we act?
How many more women stuck in domestic violence situations who try to
get out, who get protective orders against their partner only to have
that partner go get a gun and kill them? How many more?
How many more people, desperate, take their own life because getting
a gun is so easy, much easier than getting the mental health treatment
that they need? How many more?
How many more thoughts are we going to need? How many more prayers?
Mr. Speaker, enough is enough.
When I was a kid in the late 1970s and early 1980s, I think the
biggest thing that my mom worried about when I went to school was
whether I would eat the lunch that they served. Do you know what it is
like to put your child on a bus and wonder if they are going to come
home?
Do you know what it is like to go to a park to celebrate a birthday,
and your child doesn't come home? Too many people do. Too many Black
people do. Too many people in our communities are disproportionately
impacted by this public health crisis.
Even when we find bipartisan agreement--I was able to find bipartisan
agreement to get a fund created in the Virginia government, a gun
violence prevention grant fund, yet the Federal funding that was
available to fund the programs that are proven to address the root
causes of gun violence are being cut. It makes no sense.
Every day, our children see this. They are traumatized by the mass
shooter drills. They are traumatized by the friends who are there one
day and gone the next.
Every single time my son sees a story of someone dying because of a
gun, he asks me, ``Am I next?'' I say to him, ``Jackson, I am doing
everything in my power to make sure you are not.''
I can't do it alone. The Congressional Black Caucus can't do it
alone. We need 218 people in the House and 60 in the Senate who are
willing to do something more than thoughts and prayers.
[[Page H2415]]
We need a President and an administration that says enough is enough.
If you don't want to do anything to actually take the guns off the
street, then at least invest in the root causes of violence because it
is too easy for someone desperate enough to take their life to get a
gun and do it. It is too easy for somebody who wants to start a race
war to get a gun and walk into a church where people pray with him, and
he shoots them dead. Enough is enough.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you for your attention. I thank the Members of
the Congressional Black Caucus who joined me tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________