Gun Violence

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, our hearts are heavy grieving for the 17 innocents murdered in Parkland. We are praying for their families and friends.

I cannot begin to fathom the sorrow of parents who must bury a child. From the time our children are born, we instinctively understand it is our responsibility to protect them; but, increasingly, as a nation, we are failing our children and allowing them to be gunned down in schools, at concerts, and in houses of worship.

Still, in this darkest of time, I see reason to hope. I am inspired by the eloquence of the survivors and the young people across the country who are speaking out for positive action.

We all know there are commonsense actions that would curb gun violence in our communities and save lives: universal background checks; banning military-style assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and bump stocks; and funding mental healthcare, to name but a few.

These measures have the overwhelming support of the American people. All that is missing is the political will from Congress. Hopefully, this moment will be different.

I urge my colleagues to listen to the voices of our young people. Let's have the debate and vote on real actions to reduce gun violence in our schools, our neighborhoods, and our country.

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