Gun Violence

Floor Speech

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Ms. JACOBS. Mr. Speaker, gun violence is the number one killer of kids and teens in America.

For so many problems facing our country, we don't know what to do, we don't know exactly how to fix it. Gun violence is different. We know what to do, but Republicans lack the backbone to do it, and, frankly, their justifications why aren't good enough.

Bucking your party, alienating the NRA, or potentially risking your seat is worth it to save lives.

We can save lives by reinstating the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. The 1994 ban that was implemented when I was only 5 years old decreased gun massacres by 37 percent, and when that ban expired, gun massacres rose by 183 percent.

Reinstating this ban would prevent parents from having to say their final good-byes to their children. It would prevent the trauma we knowingly pass on to future generations. It would prevent the never- ending what-ifs, if-onlys, and what-could-have-beens when thinking about the loved ones we have lost.

I urge my colleagues to do the right thing and reinstate the Federal Assault Weapons Ban.

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