Lucy McBath Leads Special Order About Gun Violence Awareness Month On The House Floor
On the House floor Tuesday, Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) led a discussion about efforts to combat violence.
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00:00January 9, 2023. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Georgia, Mrs. McBath for 30 minutes.
00:11Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I ask unanimous consent that all members have five legislative
00:21days to revise and extend the remarks and include extraneous material on the topic
00:27of this special order. Without objection. Thank you.
00:34Thank you, and I'm honored tonight to host tonight's special order 30 minutes
00:42with the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and Assistant Leader Neguse. We are entering the final
00:49week of Gun Violence Awareness Month, and on this 25th day of June, it is estimated that over
00:572,500 Americans have lost their lives due to gun violence in this month alone.
01:07Over 100 people are dying in this country every single day, and back home in my home state of
01:14Georgia, I have seen the compounding impact of gun violence in our communities. Earlier this
01:22month, there was a shooting at the Peachtree Center Mall where a gunman shot and injured
01:29three people. Just hours later, a man who was interviewed by local news as a witness to the
01:37first shooting went on to commit an act of gun violence himself, hijacking a Gwinnett County bus
01:46and fatally shooting a passenger that very same day. I don't know what anybody else thinks, but
01:54this epidemic is truly real. I know firsthand the pain of losing a loved one to senseless gun
02:02violence. It's been nearly 12 years now since I lost my son Jordan when he was just 17 years old.
02:13On Black Friday in 2012, Jordan and his friends, they were simply going out shopping at the mall.
02:22They stopped at a convenience store gas station for all of three and a half minutes
02:26because my son Jordan said, hey guys, if we're gonna go pick up girls at the mall, you gotta have
02:32fresh breath. In those three and a half minutes, a man pulled up next to the boys in their car
02:42and he started complaining about the loud music that they were playing.
02:47He racially profiled them, he called them gangbangers, and he called them thugs.
02:52And then he fired 10 shots into the car, killing my only son, and then he simply drove away.
03:02He acted as if nothing had ever happened.
03:07He went back to his hotel with his girlfriend. They walked their puppy, Charlie.
03:13They ordered a pizza and they made themselves a couple of stiff rum and cokes, and then they simply went to bed.
03:26It was only the next morning that they saw on television that a young Black male had been killed
03:34by 10 bullets at a convenience store gas station,
03:39and this man and his girlfriend, they just simply got in their car and they drove 170 miles back to Satellite Beach, Florida.
03:51During the trial of my son's killer, I made a promise that I would spend the rest of my life
04:00fighting to make sure that no one else ever had to experience the pain and the trauma
04:06that not only my family has experienced, but the ever-growing club of people in this country
04:13that are succumbing to every single day. Parents who are burying their children,
04:18who've been taken from this earth far too early.
04:25I became an advocate, an advocate for gun safety.
04:31I became a spokesperson for every town for gun safety in America, and in a district that was once held by Newt Gingrich,
04:44I ran for Congress strictly on a platform of gun safety and to save as many lives in this country as I possibly could.
04:54And against all those odds, I won.
04:58And in the five years since I've come to Congress, the House Democratic Caucus has truly become the Gun Safety Caucus.
05:08And that truly gives me hope because I never ever thought I would be here. I never ever thought I'd be standing on this floor.
05:17I never ever thought I would be here in Congress living out my son's legacy as we pass as many bills as we can
05:26to stop more families from feeling the same pain that I felt from losing a child to unnecessary and horrific gun violence in America.
05:42It's a testament to leaders like our Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Chairman Mike Thompson
05:49that we are able to celebrate these victories, these monumental accomplishments,
05:55and the remarkable change that's happened just within the last few years.
06:02Today marks two years of major gun safety reform with the Bipartisan Safer Communities Law,
06:10led by our Gun Sense House Democratic Caucus and President Biden.
06:17With parts of my Red Flag Bill, with community intervention funding, and with mental health
06:23resources for all 50 states, solutions that the American people overwhelmingly have been crying
06:30out for and support. And we're building on that monumental progress every single day
06:38with the Assault Weapons Ban and also the introduction of my Bipartisan Go Safe Act
06:44to keep weapons of war off of the American streets and out of our schools.
06:53With the introduction of new legislation and movement forward on discharge petitions
06:59to force votes on these very, very important bills, we, the Gun Sense Democratic Caucus,
07:08are working to protect the American people every single day. Even if the current majority doesn't
07:15want to stand up for the safety of their own constituents and their families, we're committed
07:23we will do that because the American people deserve to live in their communities in this
07:29country safely and freely. Tonight we will hear from the legislators, many of these legislators
07:38and some of the most dedicated members on this hill who are making this kind of progress possible
07:44every single day. They do this work day in and day out. Leaders who have elevated the profile
07:52of gun violence prevention in the halls of this Congress and many who championed this issue long
07:59before they were ever even considered an elected official. This work takes all of us
08:08and that is why I am so grateful for this evening's speakers that are here with us tonight
08:13who will focus on our energy and the work that we've done during Gun Violence Prevention Awareness
08:22Month and hope that we can continue to encourage people to rededicate ourselves to the work of
08:29saving lives. I've never been more optimistic about the future of this movement and that is because
08:38of the work that I am blessed and privileged to do with my colleagues in this chamber.
08:46Together, truly, we are definitely making a difference.
08:51And at this time, Mr. Chair, I'd like to yield the balance of my time to these amazing colleagues,
09:02if I may. I'd like to yield five minutes to our Assistant Democratic Leader from Colorado,
09:12Joan Neguse. Mr. Speaker, first, let me thank my friends and gun violence prevention task force
09:24leaders, Congresswoman Lucy McBeth and Congressman Mike Thompson for convening us this evening.
09:33They both have been unwavering in their dedication to ending the scourge of gun violence in this
09:40country. And I want to take a moment in particular to salute and applaud my friend, Representative
09:47McBeth, whom, as you heard, Mr. Speaker, has shown a remarkable amount of courage, of bravery, of
09:58tenacity in converting her anguish, unspeakable, unthinkable anguish into action to save lives.
10:15We couldn't be more proud of her and the work that she has done since she first graced the
10:21halls of this august body in making ending gun violence a priority of not just hers,
10:31but of this House. Mr. Speaker, in a country where gun violence is the leading cause of death
10:42among children, I'll repeat that just to let it sink in, that gun violence is the leading
10:52cause of death among children in the United States. It comes as no surprise that today
10:59the Surgeon General declared that gun violence in America now constitutes a public health crisis.
11:08My district, Mr. Speaker, has been acutely impacted by that crisis, by the pain of the
11:15gun violence epidemic. Three years ago, a gunman walked into a local grocery store in my community
11:22in Boulder, Colorado. He killed, murdered in cold blood ten of our beloved community members,
11:30including a police officer who made the ultimate sacrifice, saved lives, died in the line of duty.
11:38This tragedy and the shock waves that it has spurred across my state serve as a reminder
11:46of why we as a Congress cannot abandon our mission to end this epidemic. And my community,
11:54Mr. Speaker, is not alone. From Uvalde to Buffalo, from Parkland to Sandy Hook,
12:03to every corner of our country, there are communities just like ours, families devastated
12:09by the pain and anguish caused by gun violence, members, as you've heard, of this very chamber
12:15who've experienced devastating loss as a result of this epidemic. But it is with those we've lost
12:23in our hearts and at the forefront of our minds that we remain committed to ensuring
12:29that we turn such anguish into action. Two years ago today, as you've heard, Mr. Speaker,
12:37many of us joined President Biden at the White House. I remember going to the White House with
12:44my colleague, Representative McBeth, to celebrate the enactment of the bipartisan Safer Communities
12:51Act, which Representative McBeth, Representative Robin Kelly, Representative Stephen Horsford,
12:57so many of the leaders whom you'll hear from tonight, Representative Haley Stevens,
13:00and others had worked vociferously to get across the finish line, the most significant and
13:06consequential gun violence prevention legislation that we've seen in decades. Through this bill,
13:11we were able to enact improved and enhanced background checks, protect domestic violence
13:17survivors, expand community violence intervention programs, and support improved mental health
13:22services across the country. Mr. Speaker, we know that legislating works. So, I'm here today
13:32with leaders like Representative Kennedy of Buffalo and Representative Manning from North
13:39Carolina and Representative Stevens and Representative McBeth and so many others
13:43to repeat the call that House Democrats have made time and time again to say that we are ready to
13:50work in good faith with anyone to address what is clearly a pervasive problem across our country,
13:58to advance common sense reforms that we know will save lives. It is time for our
14:06colleagues on the other side of the aisle, for House Republicans to do the same.
14:12To work with us, because inaction is no longer an option.
14:17Again, I thank Representative McBeth, I thank Representative Thompson and the Gun Violence
14:22Prevention Task Force for their work in addressing our most basic charge as members of this body,
14:33which is to keep Americans safe. With that, I yield back.
14:40I'd like to thank Assistant Democratic Leader Joan DeGoose. Thank you for your wonderful words.
14:46At this time, I'd like to yield five minutes of our time to Representative Haley Stevens of Michigan.
15:02Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to this chamber that affords the time for this special
15:10hour. It is a profound and deep honor to stand here with my friend, who I'm also privileged to
15:19call one of my heroes, Congresswoman Lucy McBeth, who I came into this very chamber with as new
15:27freshmen, the class of 2018. Most of us never, ever had run for office, and we took on a new House
15:38majority in a very challenging time for this country, and I have seen her work day in and
15:46day out. It doesn't matter if it is Gun Violence Prevention Month. And while I never got to meet
15:54her son, Jordan, and his fate is certainly why I know his mother, I know his soul,
16:03and I know his spirit, because his mother has channeled it into good, and into change,
16:10and into togetherness for this nation of ours. Now, I also stand here as a representative of
16:19Michigan, and we are coming out of a very tough week in Oakland County. About 10 days ago,
16:29we had a shooting incident at a splash park on a Saturday, the day before Father's Day.
16:37Nine injured parents shielding their infant children, a grandfather, an eight-year-old shot
16:47in the head, still in the hospital, and another horrific scene, followed by the next Saturday
16:56an Oakland County deputy sheriff shot while investigating a crime in Detroit.
17:07And time and time again, we see these incidences. We see these horrific mass shootings. I
17:15have, as a lawmaker and as a policymaker, and someone who has stood by President Biden,
17:22who has stood by my colleagues, on getting so much done, remain absolutely baffled
17:29by these statistics, by these events that just seemingly and uniquely happen in a country
17:39where we refuse to change our laws, where we continue on this path of insanity.
17:49There is too much pain. There are too many mass shootings. I have, and I invite you all to 2411,
17:56my office in Rayburn, outside of my office door, the orange ribbon for every mass shooting that
18:05has happened this term in Congress. We are over 800. I remember calling Joe Neguse,
18:12Congressman Neguse, when the mass shooting happened in his grocery store in his district.
18:19I remember the mass shooting in Buffalo and how personal that has felt. Again, another grocery
18:25store. We are arming hate in the United States of America, and we are arming insanity. And so, yes,
18:33those of us on this side of the aisle are talking about common sense, and we all have a
18:41responsibility to the next generation. You know, our first Gen Z member of Congress, Maxwell Frost,
18:49who's been carrying the torch of gun violence prevention through his activism work before he
18:54entered this very chamber. So, when are we going to double down on passing common sense gun safety
19:02legislation? When are we going to say that the right to bear arms is a privilege in the United
19:10States of America? Our U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, just proclaimed gun violence as a
19:21public health crisis, and that is what it is, at parties and in grocery stores and in houses of
19:27worship. We're in a grand competition on the global stage. I've been so honored this term to
19:36work on the U.S. House Selection Committee on competition with the Chinese Communist Party.
19:47We need to look ourselves in the face, and we need to show that democracy works, and it works
19:52when we pass laws. It works when we regulate. It works when we institute training programs and
20:00check-ins and red flag laws, and when our prosecutors prosecute like our Oakland County
20:08prosecutor did in Oakland County, Michigan, the parents who don't do safe storage.
20:15Your right is a privilege, and our right to living freely, safely, and peacefully deeply matters,
20:26whether it is the month of June, where we say we're orange and stand for gun safety and gun
20:33violence prevention, and this is something we can all rally around and do, just as we did two years
20:41ago, almost on this very day when we passed a bipartisan gun safety law that was a good start,
20:47but there is more to do, because these mass shootings and these shooting deaths of innocent
20:54children and people continue to happen in the United States of America. So anyone who walks
21:00through the door to my office will see those orange ribbons, and is invited into the conversation
21:07and the solution-making that we need. Thank you, and I reserve.
21:15I'd like to thank my friend and colleague from Michigan, Representative Hayley Stevens. I'd
21:24like to yield at this time five minutes of time to Kathy Manning of North Carolina.
21:30I want to thank my good friend, Representative Lucy McBath, for her courage and her persistence
21:40in taking a mother's unbearable pain following the loss of her son, Jordan, and turning that pain
21:49into a relentless effort to do everything possible to pass bills that will chip away
22:03at this terrible problem. Thankfully, two years ago, under President Biden's leadership,
22:11we helped pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It was historic legislation to address
22:19gun violence and keep weapons out of dangerous hands. It was a strong step forward,
22:25but we can and we must do much, much more. Right now, guns are the leading cause of death
22:36for children and teens in the United States. Our Surgeon General just declared the gun violence
22:43in this country a public health crisis. And we all know he's right, because every day,
22:51more than 100 Americans lose their lives to gun violence. As an active member of the Gun
23:00Violence Prevention Task Force, I have talked with my colleagues on the other side of the aisle.
23:07I have presented them with a list of 10 things we could consider doing together,
23:14and asked them which of these things would they be willing to work with us on.
23:20One of my colleagues from North Carolina said to me,
23:24we don't have a gun problem. We have a mental health problem. Well, there are mental health
23:31problems in countries all over the world, but they do not have the same level of gun violence
23:38that we have because guns are not as widely available. In my own community, when I meet
23:46with local police officers, community leaders, parents, mental health professionals, and educators,
23:54they all tell me the same thing. We have got to do more to stop this devastating scourge
24:02of gun violence. This is killing our children, our parents. It's robbing people of their loved ones,
24:10and leaving families of victims devastated, with a grief and a gaping loss that can never be
24:19repaired. In my district, North Carolina's 6th Congressional District, we lost one of our best,
24:28most dedicated law enforcement officers to gun violence in the past year, Sergeant Dale Nix,
24:36a real hero who devoted his life to helping victims of domestic violence.
24:43Our whole community continues to mourn his loss. As an active member of the Gun Violence
24:53Prevention Task Force, I urge my colleagues to work with us on things that the vast majority
25:01of Americans agree on. Universal background checks, safe storage laws, community violence
25:08intervention programs. We are ready to work with you. Please work with us to do the right thing
25:15for our children and our future. Thank you. I'd like to thank the gentlewoman from North
25:22Carolina. I'd like to yield four minutes to our newest, one of our newest members
25:29of the Democratic Caucus, Mr. Tim Kennedy of New York.
25:33Thank you to Representatives Mike Thompson and Lucy McBath and Assistant Leader Joe Neguse,
25:39along with the rest of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, for organizing this important special
25:45order. I especially want to thank Representative McBath, not only for her leadership, but for
25:52sharing her extremely personal and heartbreaking story. It is inspiring to see Representative
26:00McBath turn her grief into action to help save lives in this country, and I'm honored to stand
26:07by her side. Mr. Speaker, gun violence is an epidemic in our country, one that requires a
26:14national response. In May 2022, a racist domestic terrorist opened fire in the top supermarket
26:24on Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo, in the heart of our community,
26:30stealing the lives of 10 innocent souls and severely wounding three others. And just last
26:37Friday, a beautiful three-year-old boy, Ramon L. Carter, was riding his tricycle when he was struck
26:46and killed by a bullet. His older sister, Jamiah Griffin, age seven, was also grazed and hospitalized.
26:55Our community has rallied around Ramon and Jamiah's family, but we know that no amount of support
27:01can undo the pain and unspeakable anguish that they feel. That same day in Fordyce, Alabama,
27:10a gunman opened fire with a shotgun at another grocery store,
27:14claiming the lives of four people and wounding nine, including two law enforcement officers.
27:22Grocery store patrons and employees being slaughtered, children, toddlers being murdered,
27:30police being shot. It cannot continue. This week, the U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence a
27:39public health crisis in America. It is the leading cause of death among children and adolescents.
27:45The common thread here is clear. Guns and the ease in which they can be attained.
27:53We can stop this. We can choose another path. In New York, following the Sandy Hook and Top
28:03Supermarket shootings, we acted. We put in place strong red flag laws and banned high capacity
28:10magazines and assault rifles. We made it possible to sue gun manufacturers for the damage caused by
28:17the weapons they produce that flood our streets. We created new grant programs for law enforcement
28:25to implement problem-oriented policing using tactics like hot spot policing, street outreach,
28:32and crime prevention through environmental design, all adding up to a more targeted and effective
28:39approach to preventing gun violence. And to address mental health's role in gun violence,
28:46we made a record billion dollar investment in mental health services. These actions work.
28:53As of this month, police departments participating in the state's gun-involved
28:57violence elimination initiative saw a 28 percent decrease in shooting incidents resulting in
29:04injuries in the first five months of the year. But those laws won't save lives across our country.
29:12They won't stop guns from coming into New York. We need Congress to act. At a time when we have
29:19the Supreme Court nitpicking whether a gun with a bump stock is a machine gun, like the one used in
29:25Las Vegas to shoot 90 rounds in 10 seconds, we need Congress to act. And when you can't send your
29:32kid to school, your loved one to the grocery store, or simply sit outside without fear of gun violence,
29:40we need Congress to act. That means universal background checks, reinstating the assault
29:46weapons ban, banning bump stocks, military-grade body armor, and high-capacity magazines, repealing
29:55the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which gives near-blanket civil suit immunity to
30:02gun manufacturers, and yes, robustly funding mental health resources. Nobody is coming after the
30:09Second Amendment. We're simply trying to save our kids' lives. As a parent, and as a community
30:16member who's been far, far too many funerals due to gun violence, I implore my colleagues to work
30:23with us to pass these policies and make this country safer. I yield back.