Mr. POMPEO. Mr. Speaker, we're now some 11 weeks out from the tragedy that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut. And while all the talk today is about the sequester, we still have politicians and pundits all across the country that are purporting to try and solve this epidemic of gun violence with new rules taking away guns from ordinary citizens.

Unfortunately--and this is humbling for many in politics--no law or set of laws can possibly address in a meaningful way all of the challenges that we face today with a violent America. In fact, we face a much deeper, more malignant problem. It's a culture that degrades and cheapens life.

That's why I continue to be disappointed to hear the President propose further gun control. The President's plan isn't so much an attempt to solve a problem as an attempt to fulfill a wish list for gun control advocates. Unfortunately, for the American people, an opportunity for a real national dialogue on the root causes of this type of violence is being missed.

I've heard from hundreds of Kansans on the issue of gun control, and the vast majority of them understand that Washington restricting their Second Amendment rights will do very little to end the violence in our society or to improve the safety of their families or in their schools of their children.