Merrimack Valley News

WASHINGTON, DC – On May 23, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03) spoke on the House floor criticizing Congressional inaction to prevent mass shootings. Trahan, the mother of 8 and 12-year-old daughters, delivered the floor speech pleading for Republican members to take action on gun violence, instead of waiting for another news cycle to pass.

“We’re the only country where mass shootings are so common that we have PSA’s so people know what to do – where my girls’ school day is interrupted on a regular basis to practice an active shooter drill. It’s shameful, it’s infuriating, and it’s embarrassing. This chamber should be embarrassed that another mass shooting has disappeared from the news without a shred of action,” Congresswoman Trahan said.

CLICK HERE or the image below to view Trahan’s speech on the House floor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=T1loZdKhBng&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Ftrahan.house.gov%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title

Trahan took to the House floor in late March, just two days after the school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, to call for the House to take up legislation to ban assault weapons, require universal background checks, and close the Charleston Loophole.

“Mr. Speaker, I stood here at this podium eight weeks ago – after three nine-year-old children and two teachers were murdered in their classrooms in Nashville. And I begged – I pleaded – with the Republican majority to bring legislation to the floor to prevent another mass shooting,” Congresswoman Trahan continued. “Yet here we are – 17 days since Allen, Texas, 57 days since the Covenant School, one day before the first anniversary of the massacre in Uvalde – and what are we being forced to vote on? A piece of legislation that will make it harder to stop air pollution. Are you serious?”

A transcript of Trahan’s remarks as delivered are embedded below:

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Congresswoman Lori Trahan

Remarks as Delivered

Floor Speech on Mass Shootings

May 23, 2023

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today to remind members of this chamber of what happened just two weeks ago in Allen, Texas. Eight people senselessly murdered by an extremist armed with an assault rifle. A 3-year-old boy and his mom and dad – leaving behind a 6-year-old orphan who survived the mass shooting. Two young sisters – one in fourth grade and the other in second grade – described as “rays of sunshine.” Three young adults, each with their entire lives ahead of them. All of them simply minding their own business at the outlets on a Saturday – not knowing it would be their last day.

The news cycle may have changed – something many in this chamber were waiting for – but each of these victims leave behind loved ones who are still mourning an unimaginable loss. Each of these victims – like every victim of a mass shooting before them – deserved better. They deserved real action that could have prevented a person deemed unfit to serve in the United States Army from accessing the assault weapon that he used to kill them. They deserve better than their member of Congress going on national television that same day and saying that thoughts and prayers are enough to stop gun violence – and that if you disagree you “don’t believe in an almighty God.” And they certainly deserve better than platitudes from a Governor more concerned about his grade on an NRA’s scorecard than the number of victims of mass shootings in his state.

Mr. Speaker, I stood here at this podium 8 weeks ago – after 3 nine-year-old children and 2 teachers were murdered in their classrooms in Nashville. And I pleaded with the Republican majority to bring legislation to the floor to prevent another mass shooting. I listed bills we could’ve considered: The Assault Weapons Ban to get weapons of war – the guns of choice for mass shooters – off our streets. The Bipartisan Background Checks Act to make sure guns aren’t falling into the hands of individuals who shouldn’t have them. And the Enhanced Background Checks Act to ensure that a full background check is actually completed before the firearm sale is processed.

Yet here we are – 17 days since Allen, Texas, 57 days since the Covenant School, and one day before the first anniversary of the massacre in Uvalde – and what are we being forced to vote on? A piece of legislation that will make it harder to stop air pollution. Are you serious? This is a colossal disconnect.

There’s a witness from the shooting just two weeks ago who talked about how he went to help a little girl who he thought was hiding. And when he went to check on her, she didn’t have a face after being shot in the head by an AR-15-style assault weapon. But we can’t even get a vote on whether those guns should be available. It’s no wonder people think Congress is out of touch.

The United States is the only developed nation in the world where this kind of thing keeps happening again and again. We’re the only country where mass shootings are so common that we have PSA’s so people know what to do. Where my girls’ school day is interrupted on a regular basis to practice an active shooter drill.

It’s shameful. It’s infuriating. And it’s embarrassing. This chamber should be embarrassed that another mass shooting has disappeared from the news without a shred of action. I yield back.

Original source can be found here.