Commemorating the Lives Lost in the Shooting Rampage at Santa Monica

Floor Speech

Mr. WAXMAN. Madam Speaker, today I rise to commemorate the lives lost in the tragic shooting rampage on the streets of Santa Monica and at Santa Monica College. On June 7, Samir Zawahri, Chris Zawahri, Marcela Franco, Carlos Navarro Franco, and Margarita Gomez lost their lives. We take a moment to honor them, and make a promise that we will remember them.

I want to express my condolences to the victims' families. Your losses are Los Angeles' losses, and we grieve with you.

There were many wounded, and we send our best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

I also rise to commend the heroic actions of our first responders. Without their fearless response, many more lives could have been lost. We thank these first responders who arrived on the scene and bravely protected us all. Our Nation expresses its gratitude.

We are losing too many of our fellow citizens to gun violence. We must stop this cycle. My colleagues in Congress must come together to enact commonsense reforms, including comprehensive background checks. We must address the mental health needs of our community.

We cannot allow the tragedy that occurred in Santa Monica to be repeated. The lives lost in Santa Monica cannot just be another statistic. They must inspire us to make our community and our Nation safer and more secure for everyone.

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