PASSING GUN SAFETY LAWS

On 2026-06-04, Representative Robin L. Kelly (D-IL-2) delivered a floor speech titled "PASSING GUN SAFETY LAWS" in the House.

PASSING GUN SAFETY LAWS

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 95 (Thursday, June 4, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 95 (Thursday, June 4, 2026)] [House] [Pages H3832-H3833] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] PASSING GUN SAFETY LAWS (Ms. Kelly of Illinois was recognized to address the House for 5 minutes.) Ms. KELLY of Illinois. 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, shooting after shooting. Moments of silence have never been enough. Thoughts and prayers have never been enough. Americans need real action by Congress to end gun violence. They need us to make good trouble. After Congress decided to do nothing in the aftermath of the horrific shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, I helped organize a sit-in with my late colleague and friend, John Lewis, and other Members. We sat on this very floor for about 24 hours. If the people in charge refuse to pass gun safety legislation, I will always make sure that Americans know there are Members of Congress who actually represent their needs and demands. I continue to echo their voices in this Chamber. We need to pass lifesaving gun safety laws. That means universal background checks, funding and support for community violence intervention organizations, safe storage laws to prevent unintentional shootings, an assault weapons ban, and standard marketing practices to hold the gun industry accountable. We know those solutions to end gun violence, yet the Trump administration refuses to act. Instead, President Trump and Republicans reversed the progress we have made over the past few years. On day one in the Oval Office, President Trump shut the doors of the White House Gun Violence Prevention Office. Since then, he continues to pour salt into injury after injury. The Department of Justice terminated over $66 [[Page H3833]] 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, yet this administration decided they are inefficient. After a gunman stormed the White House Correspondents' Dinner, President Trump didn't want gun safety reform. He wanted a ballroom. He wanted to keep himself and his billionaire donors safe while over 120 Americans continue to die every day. House Republicans are complicit in the Trump agenda to endanger public safety. They are trying to jam through bills that would allow people to mail guns through the United States Postal Service, eliminate background checks, and allow domestic abusers to buy guns. {time} 1015 Make no mistake: They are making our country less safe. I was proud to play an essential role in passing the first Federal gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years, but Americans cannot wait another 30 years for Congress to act. We have lost daughters and sons, nephews and nieces, brothers and sisters, and mothers and fathers to gun violence. One daughter's name was 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 1 week later, she was shot and killed in a park in Chicago. Hadiya's friends and family started the Wear Orange movement to raise awareness of gun violence. Hunters wear orange to avoid being shot. Now, the color orange has become a beacon for action and advocacy against gun violence. Today, I introduce the Wear Orange Resolution in honor of Hadiya and every victim of gun violence, just as I have since 2015. I ran for office because I couldn't stand by and watch as Congress did nothing as children like Hadiya, those in Newtown--and I could go on and on and on--were killed, and also those that have been injured mentally and physically. 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 a few months after Hadiya was shot in the Second District. Since then, I have never stopped fighting for victims and survivors of gun violence, and I never will. I will never give up this effort because this epidemic must end. ____________________