Commonsense Legislation to Disarm Hate

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, in the wake of the horrific events in Orlando on June 12, an extraordinary group of Americans have come together calling for commonsense gun control legislation. The Veterans Coalition for Common Sense was formed, again, within hours, and among its ranks are General David Petraeus; General Stanley McChrystal; Admiral Thad Allen, the retired commandant of the Coast Guard; and General Michael Hayden, former head of the Air Force. The list goes on and on.

And why?

General Pete Chiarelli, the former vice chief of staff of the Army, stated it very clearly: ``I have seen firsthand what weapons of war can do. There is no reason we cannot close the loopholes that allow these killing machines to fall into the hands of criminals, those who are mentally ill or those who wish to do harm to innocent men, women and children.''

The sit-in a couple of weeks ago was exactly about what General Chiarelli said, which is to pass the King-Thompson bills to close the loopholes and to require that people who are on the no-fly list cannot purchase weapons that go out and result in mass killings of far too many Americans.

We should listen to the people who wore the uniform of our country, those leaders who, again, protected and defended not only the Constitution but all of us, and listen to their message and pass the King-Thompson bills.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source