Transcripts For CSPAN2 Discussion On Gun Violence Prevention 20240714

And what legislative steps could be taken to curb gun violence. This is just over an hour and a half. The forum will come too orde, please. We welcome everyone and thank them for being here. Our speakers, thank you very much for being here. Our fellow members and guests of the committee, thank you. We are here today because 203 days ago the house passed bipartisan gun violence prevention legislation, and the u. S. Senate has done nothing. After every mass shooting that makes the headlines, leader mcconnell says its too soon to talk about policy. Unfortunately, there have been more Mass Shootings this year than there have been days in the year. If we wait for a day without gun violence, to talk about it, we will be waiting forever. The Senate Leader mcconnell hopes if we wait, if you wait this out, it will just go away. Well, were not going away. Were not going to go away because childrenir are dying, ad the tron is scaring an entire generation. As of this week, i find her children under the age of 11 have been killed or injured by someone using a gun. Over 2000 kids between the ages of 12 and 17 have been killed or injured by someone using a gun. Almost every child in america has experienced an active shooter drill. Schools are now being designed to give kids hiding places because congress refuses to act. This is shameful. We are here today to call on the senate to actsc on h. R. Eight because our children are dying at a generation of kids is scared to go to school, or a concert or a church, or to a festival. It doesnt have to be like this. Senator mcconnell has called himself the grim reaper here he was referring to a legislative graveyard. Sadly, that legislative graveyard is leading to more real graveyard. People are dying here children are dying. Senate inaction iss unacceptab. Its time for the senate to put Children First and vote on h. R. Eight. Now im going to introduce the panelistsou that you will hear from. Each panelist will have four menace to make your presentation. Anything else that you like to give us we will take and make available to all the members and it will bee put in the record. And after that i will recognize the members for four menace beach fort them to ask their questions. And to my colleagues, just a reminder that your four minutes will be allotted r for your questions or statements and the panelists responses. We have a hard out and we must close this forum no later than 2 00, or as early as when votes are called. Our for first witness, this is the order which will testify, doctor tran took a leading expert on the Public Health crisis of gun violence and has conducted Extensive Research on the topic and is this susan parker chair in violence prevention at the university of california at davis. Destini philpot is a youth leader an active member of of students demand action. Shes from baltimore and has been exposed to gun violence since the age of seven. Ray mcmurrey is the secretarytreasurer of the American Foundation of teachers. He taught in texas Public Schools for 18 years and is a gun owner. Leslie boggs is a national Parentteacher Association president. Shes a mother, grandmother and a child advocate. Colonel edwin roeser is a chief of police in fairfax, virginia, and is a member of the mayors city Chiefs Association. Thank you again for being here, and doctor, well start with you. Mr. Chairman and members, thank you. I am a practicing emergency medicine physician and director of the university of California Firearm Violence Research center. Firearm violence is amongm. Americas most salient Health Problems. In the ten years ending 2017, civilian the tallies from firearm violence, and i include both suicide and homicide, civilian fatalities from firearm violence exceeded american combat the tallies in world war ii. De fire art firearm homicide and suicide to both increasing. Homicide by 32 since 2014, suicide by 41 since 2006. Mass shootings are changing the character of American Public life. We think twice before we venture into public spaces. The mall, the movie theater, a place of worship. We make escape plans. We wonder if its safe to bring our children. And, indeed, children are at risk. In that same ten year period, we lost 14,313 children under the age of 18 to firearm injuries. Firearm related deaths among American Children has increased by 44 from 20132017, an increase of 11 per year receive extraordinarily high levels of support from the American Public. We learned just last week that nearly 90 of us support comprehensive background checks with differences of less than 5 Percentage Points between gun owners and nonowners and between democrats and republicans. There is little question but the background checks and denials of reduce risk of violence among the individuals whose purchases are denied. However, research has often not found a population level impact on firearm violence. This poses a paradocks. Paradox. How is it that a policy that is effective on the persons directly affected not seems to have a populationwide benefit. The answer can be found in significant flaws in the design and implementation of policies up to this time. There are nine important problem areas. I will mention one of them today. Consider the public Mass Shootings in texas, charleston, south carolina, Virginia Tech university. The shooters in all those cases were prohibited from purchasing firearms. They were nonetheless able to do so because background checks did not identify them as prohibitive, the necessary information was simply missing from the data. Underreporting appears to be widespread such there are many thousands of persons who are prohibited but whose prohibitions will not be detected by background checks if they seek to purchase firearms. Reporting of these data by state and local agencies is voluntary. That said, the situation has improved. Several of the studies including those by our group suggesting a lack of population will benefit from these policies were conducted by 15, 20 years or more. Similar studies conducted on more recent data would yield positive results. And very detailed information on the shortcomings and on recommendations for their improvement has been compiled and on recommendations for their improvement have been compiled intoth the auspices of the bureu of justicein statistics, a summy of this information willpe be appearing in the peerreviewed scientific Journal Health affairs in two weeks. I am optimistic that a properly designed and implemented system background checks would do much to reduce access to firearm by prohibited persons and reduce rates of firearm violence. Thank you. Thank you very much. Good afternoon. What do you see when you look at me . My name is Destini Philpot and im a 19yearold nonbinary person from baltimore, maryland. I am currently enrolled at Baltimore City Community College where i majored in english and minor in political science. I became a victim to gun violence when i was seven. At the age of nine i saw my first dead body. This is been the norm in my life since birth. Ive been plagued with the generational curse of normalized gunun violence. I have lost five friends to guns this year alone and over a dozen in my lifetime. I sit before you today not as a statistic of baltimore but rather a pillar for the voice of black and brown youth that even disproportionally affected by the lack of regulations against within our communities. In maryland, firearms of the number leading cause of death amongst children and teens, black youth are five times more likely than their white peers to die by guns. Just a few weeks ago four people including three teenagers were involved in a quadruple shooting that left my friend, 16yearold dead. According to the baltimore sun, asr of this month there been ovr 223 recorded firearm homicide in twinengine, 11 under the age of 18. As a youth that is lit with the plague of gun violence, i sit before you today to say that it is impossible to combat gun violence without addressing the root cause of this issue extensive economic injustice and institutionalize racism. Nonviolence, gun homicides nonfatal shootings and explosion to gun violence reflect intensify this countriesnd longstanding racial inequities but the reality is an media is getting on a century long narrative of demonizing and criminalizing poor black and brown communities. This same narrative has been used an excuse to justify mass incarceration in the terrorism that black and brown folk experience at the hands of police in our neighborhoods. Instead of addressing the root causes such as capitalism, imperialism, colonialism, trauma and manufacture poverty to name a few, and dealing with the contradictions of state violence, the government and corporations Mainstream Media assert the black and brown people are the problem. Delivered it politic decision take a history of housing discrimination and redline resulted in second neighborhoods and under investments in black and latino communities. Black people are just proportionally more likely to be victims of gun violence. And violence made worse with the ease access to illegal guns. Our goal is to put interstate gun trafficking and hold offenders accountable. We cant continue to criminalize black and brown juice with socalled tough on crime bills. A federal background check longw would prohibit people from buying guns by requiring background checks for all gun sales. State laws require background checks for all handgun Sales Associate with 40 low rate of gun checks and 29 20 lower rf gun checks across state lines. We cant forget the suicide with a firearm makes up twothirds of gun violence. For suicide a test on evolving a firearm, less than 5 will result in death. But for gun suicide, more than 85 will result in death. Every day future leaders are taken from us. My friend discover losing some to suicide as an unbearable pain. Gun violence continues to steal mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers. Whenwa connecticut passed the lw requiring all handgun buyers to pass a background check both at the pointofsale and is part of a permit process and whistles with a 15 reduction in suicide rates. Im grateful to house has passed these commonsense gun safety bills. Now the senate must act. My store stem from economic injustice and a lack of regulation in my community. If we implement background checks it wont hurt anyone but it will save lives. It couldve saved ray, erin, milton, maney, but waited too long and families and kidneys have to pay the price. My story is hard to swallow but is a rally my Community Faces every day. I do not want your pd though. I want you to act. Thank you. Thank you very much. We are really sorry for your personal loss. Mr. Mcmurrey. Chairman thompson and other representatives, thank you for inviting me to this important event. My name is ray mcmurrey. I represent teachers, paraprofessionals and support personnel in texas. Im secretarytreasurer of the Texas American Federation of teachers and i taught in the Texas Public School system for 18 years. During those years, incense, ive seen the impact of gun violence on students and educators from a shocking and Christa Mcauliffe unexperienced to it seems likeee countless episodes of innocent lives being mowed down in cold blood educators, students and Community Members have seen their schools turn into Violent Crime scenes and war zones and unacceptable ways. In my home state recently we witnessed domestic terrorism at the hands of a White Nationalist perpetuating hate crime resulting in mass murder. Only Weeks Later Police officers and innocent citizens were killed cruelly and unnecessarily at the hands of a sick individual who should not have been able to have access to a firearm. Aft colleagues from Douglas High School in florida, sandy hook in connecticut, and countless schools across the nation where gun violence doesnt make the nightly news, agreed that the trauma and anxiety of gun violence creates, will simply not vanish, nor will it be stopped with bumperstickering gimmicks calling to arm teachers. More must be done. More must be done now to provide Mental Health support to the students who have experienced trauma. More must be done to invest in programs Like Community schools, peer counseling, wellness programs, and schoolwide practices to reduce bullying behavior. And more must be done to prevent dangerous individuals from buying firearms. Congress can help or continue to do little, or nothing. Further allowing children across this country tomm live in fear f gun violence. We must work to pursue and implement Common Sense Solutions to reduce violence. One of thoseac most Common Sense Solutions is expanding the background check system. The system stophe the chute andl paso from arming himself in 2014 and expanded background check system might a stopped him from buying the arms he used to slaughter texans last month. I know members of congress before me here today have already helped to pass legislation out of the house of representatives. So really when i i say Congress Needs to do something, im speaking to my home state senators. Every elected official in this country takes an oathro to prott and to defendd its people, but you may have fallen down on the job and we demand they do better. My senators need to understand that our teachers refuse to believe that nothing can change. We will continue to demand the thoughts and prayers be met with policy changes. And we will hold accountable every single legislator who stands in the way. It is time for senators cornyn and crews to exhibit true leadership on this issue. There are common sensean rationl policy changes that can reduce the chances of guns into the hands of the wrong people while still protecting the integrity of the Second Amendment. For the record, i make the seventh generation texan. My family has roots in the texas revolution. I do from his support the Second Amendment as an integral part o the bill of rights. Im a gun owner the concealed permit carrier and holder in the state of texas. However, i know that my Second Amendment rights are not threatened expanded individual background checks. There is a passable to better protect our society and im here to ask senator from texas to get it right and i appreciate your service. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Chairman thompson, vice chairs, and all memories of the Gun Violence Task force, thank you for the opportunity to speak today and for the Task Force Leadership since 2012 to put forward legislative action to reduce gun violence inm our country. I did today on behalf of national pta, the nations oldest and largest Child Advocacy association with members and all 50 states, d. C. , the u. S. Virgin islands, puerto rico and europe. No parent should fear for the safety of their child and every time they leave home for school, or anywhere else. And no child should live in fear everyday wondering if this is the last day they will see their family. Since 2013 there have been 471 incidents on school grounds. Thousands of children across this great country have been victims of a witness or a witness to gun violence in their homes, schools, or communities. We have issued so many statements on Mass Shootings at schools. Over the years that we now keep a draft on file at all times. In every statement we remind the nation that our students deserve to have a safe environment in which to learn and thrive. In every statement we urge congress to do more. Now is time to act. Doing nothing is unacceptable. This august i published an oped asking congress to return from its summer recess to enact commonsense proposals such as passing red flag luscombe universal background checks, funding for gun violence research, and banning assault weapons. Alll of which the majority of americans support. Unfortunately, congress chose not to return to d. C. This summer to address this epidemic. So here i am again today asking for change on behalf of children and our families. Universal background checks cant and will save lives this commonsense measure would have saved seven lies and prevented and wouldve prevented traumatic injuries and is, him the 17 month old daughter of our families assistant pastor. Anderson as a toddler. The only pain she shouldve known should be from scraped knees when she was learning to walk. Instead, little anderson was shot through her bottom lip and tongue and lost all of her front teeth because a man was able to purchase a semiautomatic rifle, thanks to a loophole in our federal gun laws. Kelly which is going but are typical saturday afternoon errands. When anderson was shot in the back seat of her car. As a mother and grandmother myself, i cannot imagine the fear that she felt in that moment. Was shot andhter her child sat comer of the child sat in the back seat next to her horrified. Kelly did everything she could do to protect her twins. But there was nothing she could of done to prevent her baby from being shot by a man who should haveve never had a gun in the first place. Ive heard the arguments that no matter what you do or what laws you past the would be those that will break them. I did it. I really do. You can make that argument with speed limits. People break them every day. Does that mean we dont need them . No. They prevent accidents. They save lives. We need speed limits just like wendy universal background checks. So my question like we need my question is do our elected officials includingng our president vowed to our nations and families enough to put a law in place to protect the best that it can . Or will they continue to do nothing . To be clear, national pta is not about taking away an individual Second Amendment right. What we are about as ensuring that there are laws that eliminate the current background check loopholes for gun shows onlinevate sales and sales my husband was a former Police Officer in texas, and every member off my family is a gun f owner. Gun ownership is not the issue here. The issue is the ease of access to firearms and assault weapons, especially for those who pay who pose a danger to themselves and others. Our association is appreciative of the house passage of h. R. Eight association endorses. Now its the senates turned actress last week to urge Senate Majority leader mcconnell to bring forward senate bill 42 to the 4f a straight its passage in the senate. To address our nations gun violence epidemic and protect our children and families. Today is a day for action. The senate needs to pass and the president must sign this bill as a reason for step to addressing gun violence in our country. Thank you so very much for this opportunity. Thank you very much. Colonel, you are recognized. Good afternoon chairman and task force members. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak. Im heree today not only as the chief of policee of Fairfax County, virginia, but as a member of the Major City Chiefs Association and more important as a parent of three children that are productive Community Members in our society. I urge all of us to make sure that our representatives take action to combat theco Mass Shootings and the gun violence in our country. These tragic events are profoundly plaguing our nation and cutting short precious human lives, especially for young people of our communities. I submit this plea to you on behalf of the Major City Chiefs Association, the brave officers that we read threat this nation that serve our communities. As a chief of police of Fairfax County on proud that my county of every major jurisdiction in u. S. Is the safest place to live, work, play and grow old. However, gun violence is present in Fairfax County, and i wanted to start with two examples from the recent year. Two tragic cases, both the same, unrelated to each other, but the same. A young mother takes a firearm and kills her two young children, and then uses the gun as a mechanism to have death by suicide. Wine in mclean, virginia, one in great falls virginia. Unacceptable. This trauma needs to stop. The Major City Chiefs Association American People have looked to thete United States congress and the white house for many years to take a leadership role in passing commonsense measures to keep firearms in the hands of lawabiding americans and out of the hands of those who will do harm to our families, friends, neighbors, and anyone that we love in our community. We urge you in the strongest possible terms to immediately act to reduce the trauma of the everyday gun violence and the slaughter of innocent people during what feels like a never ending episode of Mass Shootings in our country, in our schools, entertainment venues, places of worship, businesses andnd homes. Requiring background checks for every firearm sale, but we believe that this is just a start of what needs to be done. We call on congress to move forward with broad legislative response and we call on the president to support this effort. The Major City Chiefs Association joins the collective voices of millions of americans who are demanding universal background checks, red flag or extreme risk measures, a ban on high capacity magazines and a host of other common sense legislation that will keep our community safe. As Additional Research is conducteded on gun violence and Mass Shootings, weve begun to view this violence as a Public Health issue, not just a Law Enforcement issue. This has broadened our thinking on our strategy that can be employed to combat gun violence in our communities. Actions aimed at keeping guns out of the hands of people with intent to do harm is needed now, requiring universal bag checks is background checks is a good start. Rier firearms through age restrictions and extreme risk laws will build upon hr8. The Chiefs Association has long supported many other measures that combat gun violence. We thank you for this effort here today and we also appreciate the effort of the alcohol, tobacco and firearms agents throughout this country and hr8 will help all of us in Law Enforcement collectively work with our advocates and our Community Members to make america safe from gun violence. We share these recommendations with you and also understand there are critics of hr8 and we tell you that universal background checks will not stop gun violence, but the fact is, it will stop some gun violence. There is no one strategy that will stop unlawful killings by firearms in our country, however, combining a number of legislative initiatives, we can go a long way in our ability to save lives, just like the lives of those four young children. Thank you. Thank you very much, colonel and thank you for being a cop. Seven years ago this task force was established by then leader pelosi because the congress wouldnt do anything about gun violence. They wouldnt hear our bills, they wouldnt give us a vote, they wouldnt give us a hearing, absolutely nothing. So leader pelosi created this task force. Today Speaker Pelosi has been on the tip of the spear making sure that we pass sensible, pro Second Amendment gun violence prevention laws to keep our community safe. Id like to recognize the speaker for a statement. Thank you very much, mr. Chairman. Your work as a Gun Violence Task force and leadership youve contracted making a difference in our country. 90 of the American People support hr8, common sense background check legislation. I appreciate the testimony of witnesses today. My apology for not being here at the start. A speaker has to open the house at 12 00 noon, thats a time certain, and growth our visiting chaplain, but i have read your testimony, mr mr. Wintermute and i appreciate youre saying that Mass Shootings are changing the character of public life. Thank you for framing that way as we challenge the congress and president to do more. I did hear ms. Philpots testimony and so sad that you lost five friends, maybe more, in terms of injury, but five friends. And this is mr. Thompsons focus has been on protecting the children, hence the name of this impact on gun violence on children and the need to pass universal background checks. He is joined in that by congresswoman kelly who has been a champion on saying, while our hearts break and we mourn and we want to act upon the high profile, then taking lives in our country every single day in our cities and across the country, we lose young people to gun violence. Thank mr. Phillips, a newlywed up here, taking the time, just married this weekend, but this was very important for him to be here, bobby rush has been a victim of gun violence in his own family and the list goes on all of our distinguished members who consider this the highest priority. I also want to acknowledge the work that mr. Mcmurray talked about to ensure domestic tranquility. Yesterday was the birthday of our constitution, yesterday was the birthday of its ratification and in it, as you know, you quote in the beautiful preamble to assure domestic tranquillity and provide for the common defense. Thats our purpose. Lets get it done. I thank you for that. And also ms. Boggs, yes, we did call upon the president to call upon the senate to come back in the summer and pass hr8. Our house members were prepared to lock up bills in committee until the floods, the hurricanes came on the east coast so now they have already marked them up first thing, First Priority back, but thank you to the pta for what youre saying and the question were asking today, do elected officials including our president value our nations children. On that families and children, let me just say this. On sunday marked 200 days since we sent the legislation, hr8 to the president of the to excuse me, to Mitch Mcconnell to the senate. So leader schumer and i called the president on sunday and we said, 200 days, 100 people a day on average, 47 of them children or teenagers. Please encourage the Republican Leadership in the senate to take up this bill and sign this legislation to save lives since it was sunday, i said to the president as always, i pray for you, i pray for your family and your safety, and i also pray that your heart will be open to protecting the families, other families in america, other children in america whose lives are at stake, at risk in the cultural change that we have in our country. So, as i said, i was so pleased to see the major cities Chiefs Association, here today, colonel and also the letter that you sent earlier so that we could say Law Enforcement, elk had providers, pta, young people, doctors, health care providers, as i mentioned, all support this measure. Gun owners 90 . 90 , you know, some of his advisors say, well, its going to hurt politically. There isnt one survival of one political person thats not worth, is not worth the survival of our children, and they have to know that. So, i thank you all for your testimony. What i told the president is, hes going to let us know what he decides, but i said, you understand were not going away. Were not going away until the job is done. We are going to kick open that door with hr8, 11, 12 the timing issue, and there are more things that we can do. But what will save most lives in the shortest period of time right now is to pass hr8 and 11, 12 and we open that the president will give a positive sign to doing that. But understand your power, your testimony, supports as one of you said, were tired of was it you, mr. Mcmurray, hopes and prayers, whatever. Mr. Thompson has declared himself a very prayerful person and thoughtful person that he is, we have to act. And we cannot use hopes and prayers as any excuse for not acting. So thank you for the generosity of spirit, for taking the time to make the case, to strengthen the case and i thank the chairman for his distinguished service, yield back. Thank you, madam speaker. The members will be recognized to for four minutes to inquire of the witnesses and well start with mr. Phillips. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Madam speaker, to my task force colleagues and particularly to you, our witnesses, thank you for being here today. Destini, you used the word normalize in your testimony. I want you to know that we cannot and will not let gun violence in america become normalized and we cannot and we will not let the majority leader of the United States senate obstruct the will of the American People, and im saddened, frankly appalled that we even have to have a hearing like this today, but it is a beginning and im grateful to all of you for being here. I cant believe we now live in a country in which our children have to be subject to active shooter drills in schools, and i cannot believe we live in a country in which parents have to consider buying their children bulletproof backpacks to skchool. Im one of those parents, with two daughters in college, when they go to a concert, to a store or to a classroom is something i will not tolerate. My first question is to you, mr. Mcmurray and ms. Boggs, please talk about the psychological toll and health and academic achievement of fear gun violence in schools is having amongst children and also teachers. Thank you for the question. As i mentioned before, we had a shooting in my hometown and so im witnessing firsthand what were seeing in our schools and the families they serve. I have a god daughter that goes to middle school and used to walk home to her grandmothers every day, two blocks from the school. She longer can do that any longer because the fear and trauma that shes felt by witnessing the shooting that happened in her community, she no longer feels safe. And so when you asked me how children and families see. You not only see students who are now afraid and questions everything that happens within and around their schools, but you also see parents who are no longer able to walk up to a school to retrieve their children. Theyre keeping them into auditoriums and calling them out to the cars because theyre fearful of what might happen in their community. I see lockdowns happening and schools more of a fortress and a prison. And this is happening not just . My hometown, you see it it em pacts not only as a shortterm, when the mass shooting happens, but for years to come. And i find it very sad that we have now the opportunity to create change and yet we are still battling this change. Thank you. Thank you for the questions. You know, i did teach and coach in the Texas Public School system for many years and i remember the day that columbine happened and i was in texas and that was in colorado, but that unleashed really a generation of students that, i think, were exposed and have been exposed to a level of violence and distrust where theyre growing up in a whole different set of circumstances, but i remember that day that i walked into that classroom and what do you say . You look those students in the eye and you have to talk about that. I had to address what just happened. I didnt know that it was going to happen over and over and over again, over the next 10, 15, 20 years. But that day, i remember looking at my students for the first time and it was no longer just about me and those students and what we were learning and the culture of really being an educational academic environment. You know, having to deal with those kind of issues, and then wonder, now with this student, what is under that coat or jacket. It changes the dynamics of what were producing and who we are, what were about, what does it mean to be an education academic institution, what are we teaching our kids. All of that culture is fundamentally changed. Thank you very much, the gentlemans time has expired. Ms. Kelly, youre recognized for four minutes. Thank you, mr. Chair. According to the National Center for injury prevention and control more than 30,000 men, women and children die annually from gunshot wounds in the United States and sometimes we know its 35,000, 36,000. All too often communities that i represent across the chicago land area face shootings daily as youve heard. In 2019 to date, chicago has more than 330 homicides from gun violence and im sure edging toward at least 1800 shot, with already 24 homicides in the month of september. A recent study on gun violence found that the loss of quality of life and psychological and Emotional Trauma and declining Property Values and consequences stemming from gun violence cost an estimated 74 billion with government absorbing 12 aboutle in costs. And these are in our youth and strengtheni strengthening this lack of opportunity doesnt just hurt our families, it creates a void that is sometimes filled with negative and sometimes violent behavior. Last congress i introduced the progress act or up and this would strengthen Police Community relations and promote common sense gun violence prevention policies. One additional area to explore to systematically address gun violence as my colleague talks about is increased Mental Health access for those affected by traumatic experiences around gun violence. And i wanted to ask miss destini her thoughts around that, because we hear that schools dont have social workers or counsellors anymore and theres not the access. During my testimony i spoke on generational curve and around that comes generational trauma and theres a quote that especially in baltimore in city like chicago, we have broken people raising broken people. And i want to emphasize that, baltimore is not a bad place, its just broken and gun violence is so multifaceted i feel like its ignored to the extent where were trying to find one solution and theres no one solution to every problem, and so the only true recourse to stem and prevent violence in black communities are to implement resources within those communities that they lack and like representative robin kelly was talking about, trauma and form resources are greatly needed within our school systems. So, yeah, back to the broken people raising broken people, its a cycle of reoccurring trauma, and like so for me, ive dealt with trauma, ive lived trauma. So without the proper like help and necessities to therefore treatment that trauma then i begin to implement trauma on to other people, so if i wasnt like a person who was saying to myself in my mind i could therefore cause trauma to someone else and thats how the cycle of trauma continues. If in schools we make trauma provide wrap around Services Within the schools we therefore decrease the amount of violence that happens within those schools and those communities. Thank you, i just wanted a question to the doctor. Is there any specific doctor targeting urban communities in mental and physical trauma care, best practices to curb gun violence that we see across urban community . The data are not specific to urban communities, but we do know that the consequences of experiencing violence with a firearm are more serious and more long lasting than are the consequences of experiencing violence with some other weapon or with no weapon. Firearms are different. Thank you, and just for the record, colonel, background checks will help . Yes, they will. A great start. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Mr. Rush, youre recognized for four minutes. I want to thank you, mr. Chairman. Next month now is the 20th anniversary of the killing of my son the streets of chicago shot down in a morning robbery attempt and 20 years later i can still hear the squeal of his mother when the doctor pronounced him dead that primal scream that only a mother can make penetrates my consciousness and this is a question that i have any of the panelist who would like to respond. Too many of us have been directly impacted by gun violence whether youre a family member, a loved one, a classmate, or beloved colleague that may have been killed. Humanity, the emotional toll, the vacuum thats created by this sense leless sudden loss o li life, sense of loss and seems that no one really hears the pain and the sense of loss that we hear talking heads in the media, we listen to the emptyhand emptyhanded, emptyminded, empty suits that are supported by the n. R. A. And sense of outrage about guns dont kill people. People kill people. And we all know that this is nothing, but total nonsense. But what is lost in these conversations about gun violence is the human toll, suffering of family members, and communities, friends, this sense of horror thats caused by the instant loss of life of a loved one. People that had so much in front of us that was taken away or consumed. So im trying to introduce the legislation to establish a National Memorial Museum Dedicated to these victims. So at that they become not just a statistic, not just a number, but a life lived and a person lov loved. And your response to this idea of a memorial or a museum . Thank you, sir. On behalf of my colleagues, including myself, we engage with our Community Members on an annual basis with our victims services, staff, our Domestic Violence detectives, to make sure that one, we never forget those that lost their lives to gun violence and other homicide victims and we light candles at a Memorial Service in the community. We do 5k walks, and we leverage the advocates just like were doing today in our local communities to stop the violence and that the missing piece, obviously, is the legislative effort. But youre absolutely right, we cannot forget those that perished in this unfair trauma inflicted upon the United States and the Young Community member from baltimore here, traumatized, but shes doing something about it and we need to do more, and informing people of the trauma is a great start. Thank you very much. Mr. Snyder, youre recognized for four minutes. Thank you, mr. Chairman, thank you for organizing this hearing and i want to thank the witnesses for coming here and both courageously, passionately and eloquently sharing your perspectives, telling stories. Miss pilpot, experiencing what youve experienced in my own personal story im named for my uncle murdered in 1943. When i decided to run for office 70 years later and raised the issue with my mother and her siblings and talked about my uncle, its as if i took a bandaid off an open wound that never healed because they never do heal. When weve seen in our Public Schools, our work places, a greater frequency and intensity of Mass Shootings, more and more families are having that experience. More and more families are, as you said broken communities, broken people. We have a responsibility as a nation and within our communities to help restore these families to give them the ability to find comfort and continue to build, but we also have a responsibility it take measured steps to try to reduce this gun violence, that includes background checks, that includes closing the loopholes that allow the people like the charleston shooter to fire a weapon. It includes new laws on trafficking across state lines and straw purchases. There are things that we can do and we need to invest in the research as a nation. What id like to ask the panelists, what also can we do for our communities . If i can start with you, because youre there in the community with young people, what more can we do for you and your fellow students, fellow young people to empower you to make a difference . So as an activist, a youth activist in baltimore, i always talk about resource availability and Restorative Justice and housing justice and Economic Justice within baltimore. We see deficits within our school system, buildings that are falling an apart. You cant have a substantial amount of kids that want to be in school and in circumstances like that, or coming from communities where they might not be able to leave out because there was just a shooting right down the street from their school, or their mother or father was just shot, like my friend milton. Theres a lot that my community needs. There are different theres so many different viewpoints that we have to look at if were going to address the root causes of violence. Like i said theres no one solution to every problem because if you want to address every problem that happens in urban communities like mine, you have to be willing to address the root causes of violence, and so, its a long list and a longstanding of what you need to do and the steps that we need to take, but i think the first step is providing resources in these communities. Thank you. Chief, let me turn to you and ill ask it in two questions. The first is a fairly basic question. Would passing hr 8, the background check bill that this house passed more than 200 days ago, would that help . And are there other things that we can do to empower you and the people in your position to reduce gun violence . Absolutely passing hr8 will help, and the other things that we can do were just stated bluntly by my colleagues here. When we look at our community and the root causes of violence, obviously the availability of guns is the number one leading cause of the violence, but my peers and i, as Law Enforcement officers, we need to engage with everybody else in the community and our local government and State Government and federal government to bring the resources to heal the community, whether its public housing. The fear, anxiety, partnerships with schools. We need to be in the fabric as Law Enforcement leaders and officers with everyone and together as a community to have safer environment to travel to and from school, and as the examples given here today, safe classrooms, and to produce productive Community Members. Its all our responsibility and if we start with restricting the ability to have a gun in an illegal manner, thats a great start. Absolutely. Thank you, and i know for me, 75 years after my uncles death we continue to fight to make progress and i honor his memory. I promise you miss pilpot, well honor your friend. Thank you, mr. Sarbanes youre recognized for four minutes. Thank you, mr. Chairman, and thank you for convening this hearing and your leadership of the task force and i want to thank our witnesses for coming today. As many of you have pointed out, what we need right now desperately are profiles in courage and we need to see that on the senate side. We need Mitch Mcconnell to stand up for the 90 of americans who want to see these common sense gun safety measures, but in place, rather than assisting in Holding Us Hostage to the 10 . It doesnt make any sense. Its incomprehensible and if its indefensible the position that hes taken. This house has acted as you know with hr8, hr11, 12. We did it early, actually the first major bill, piece of legislation that was passed in this congress by the house of representatives was hr8, to put in place universal background checks. And so, its been months and months and months that weve been waiting for the senate to act and as many of my colleagues have said, were not going to let up. As Speaker Pelosi indicated. Were going to keep the pressure on. Part of the reason i have some confidence and optimism that that is going to make a difference this time is because of the advocacy thats coming from people like those of you who are testifying today. Fundamentally, its about whos side are we on . Are we on the side of americans who become increasingly fearful about gun violence in every community . And we need Mitch Mcconnell to stand on the side of our citizens who want to see these measures put in place. You often hear people say and there was an illusion to this earlier, that, you know, universal background checks arent going to solve everything. Thats true. But it will make a difference. Destini you mentioned or you observed that universal background checks are not going to hurt anyone, but they can save a lot of lives. The thing that makes me most frustrated when we have these high profile tragic Mass Shootings is the sense of powerlessness that follows in their wake. Which i think is corroding at the psyche and spirit of the nation. That we cant seem to do just one thing after these tragedies, just one thing. Are we that weak, are we that powerless . And so while passing a universal background check will not solve everything, it will solve that sense of powerlessness we feel because it will show that we actually can do something. We can begin to fight back. Just 30 second left, but destini, thank you for being here, thank you for fighting on this issue. Thank you for fighting for baltimore. I love that city the way you do and im proud to represent it. Real quick, do you feel like some of your peers are becoming motivated by the kind of action youre taking and that together you all are making a difference and can make a difference . By amplifying the youth voice, yes. When they see that we are able to come out and we are able to use our voice toss make a change, it makes them want to come out. Because sometimes we feel so voiceless. But when we see that voice has a power it makes them want to come out more to implement change in our community. Thank you. Thank you all, yield back. Thank you, dr. Ruiz, youre recognized for four minutes. Thank you, mr. Chairman. I cannot emphasize strongly enough that this is a Public Health issue and as an emergency physician and public expert, i am heartened to see a fellow emergency physician and Public Health expert on our panel today. Doctor, thank you for sharing your moving story and thank you for your work to save lives. You and i both have seen the realities in being in the front lines when victims of firearm violence roll into our Emergency Departments and weve worked to save their lives, weve mourned with their family when the medical care cant overcome this and tell the family members. Theres no other group other than the victims and the survivors that can really experience that horrendous suffering that happens. But those are the stories that we take home and we contemplate for the rest of our lives as well. Taking the Public Health approach to violence makes sense. And weve used this approach before. Weve used Public Health for tobacco and crashes. And when it comes to firearms, people are dying and its hard to come by good answers how to prevent these deaths. So, in your definition, what is your definition to clarify it of what a Public Health approach to gun violence is . Thank you. The best articulation of that point of view i ever heard came from dr. David satter when he took over c. D. C. He says look, if violence isnt a Health Problem, then why are all of these people dying from it . Its that simple. There are deaths, injuries, there are longterm consequences to those who are affected, to our community. We vastly underestimate what does it mean to take a Public Health approach . What it means to take that approach is to study this as if it were a Health Problem, which it is, to understand what the risk factors are at the individual and as destini pointed out at the societal level. Understand how to intervene between risk and outcome so that risk factors dont necessarily mean that bad things happen. One way to do that is to enact comprehensive background checks, which will identify people who have risk factors, prevent them from acquiring the firearms with which they would do firearm violence. Cant shoot somebody if you dont have a gun to do it with. It is really that straight forward and as you mentioned, it is a time tested approach. Were using it at the moment for opioids. So in other words, we use the Scientific Evidence to identify high risk individuals and we make sure that those individuals, like people who have shot somebody else in the past, dont get their hand on guns, right . Thats correct. Okay, and so what else has the Scientific Evidence shown to help reduce overall risk and incidents are gun violence deaths . Another time tested approach is to broaden the criteria for prohibition. Ill give one example and others in california weve enacted a law that prohibits people convicted of misdemeanor Violent Crimes from purchasing or possessing firearms for ten years. In most of the country its simply a myth that people convicted of Violent Crime cannot legally purchase firearms. Our work has shown that that new policy reduced risk among Violent Crime among people directly affected by 25 to 30 . Thats a big difference. What further research would like to see . Oh, you ask a researcher that question. Prioritize this. I dont think we know nearly enough about the consequences, the effects again not only on people who have been shot and their family members, but on communities. On the communities of people who care for the people who have been injured. In the world of prevention, what other research would you suggest . I would like to see intervention trials, where states since congress has not acted, states are again serving as democracies, laboratories are enacting new policies in an effort to prevent violence. We need to see if those policies have their intended effect. Thank you. Thank you very much. Mr. Pasquel, youre recognized for four minutes. Thank you, mr. Chairman. Thanks for putting us together today and weve done a lot of work over the last several months, this study didnt just happen. I want to thank the panel. Youre brave people to come to give testimony today. Doctor, were going to need you and people like you. Ill get a charge out of people talking about the fact that and we do this is a sign of Mental Illness whenever theres a shooting. These are the same people who didnt really support Mental Health parity and take a look, im not joking about it. This is serious business. Patrick kennedy came to this house and led us, if you remember, in legislation dealing with the very things that youve been talking about, doctor. Destini, i projected ten years, think about it, that youll be safe and sound and still doing what youre doing and teaching us. Ray, a teacher, you have a tremendous amount of influence and the kids shall parkland proved that children shall lead us. Leslie, ctas and what theyre doing now because they understand the severity of the situati situation. Thank you. Colonel, i want to talk to you heart to heart. 28 years ago as the mayor of the city of patterson, new jersey i stood with governor florio on the steps of city hall in patterson to sign one of the first bans in this country of assault weapons and as i went to city hall that day, went to the police station, im sorry, i saw police on the top of the garages and buildings around city hall. I walked in and i said to the Public Safety director, what are they doing up there . It looks like an armed camp. He says it is. Weve had threats on both you and the governor. So therefore, come and follow me so i followed him into the Police Office there, his office, the Directors Office and he gave me my first flak jacket. Youre going to have to wear this out to the ceremony in order to sign the ban on assault weapons and so did the governor have it as well. My job, colonel, my job is to protect you. My job is to protect every Police Officer. So while im functioning here about children and priorities, i want you to know that you are a priority. I do everything as the cochair of Public Safety, the congress of the United States, to get to that point because you are a first line of defense. Background checks are going to help us. You know more than anybody else in this room, how effective they are, how it helps you in an investigation. I know its after the fact, but youre in place to do that. You need all the help that you need, besides a trained Police Officer, besides a wellarmed Police Officer. Our policemen, mr. Chairman, are outgunned and outstacked, so those who yell law and order, those who point out that these mental people out there are doing all of these things and we dont have to worry about it, guns kill people. No, people kill people. Thats their motto. Put it on a Bumper Sticker and see how many kids it saves. See how many Police Officers it saves. So, if i dont do my job, then you should get rid of me and put someone else in my place who can do that job. And i thank you for all your service. Youve done a heck of a job here today, i tell you. Thank you, chairman. Thank you. Mr. Evans, youre recognized for four minutes. Thank you, chairman thompson for holding this hearing and thank you for the witnesses speaking with us today. In 1993, the c. D. C. Study showed that bringing a gun in the home brings everyone to a much greater risk of gun violence. N. R. A. Disputed the findings of the study in 1996. Revoked the c. D. C. Due to Research Gun Violence as a Public Health issue. Earlier this year, thanks to madam chair of the appropriation committee, the house passed what would be the First Federal funding for gun research in 23 years. I was proud to vote for that 50 million longterm. Gun violence is a Public Health issue. Guns kill nearly 40,000 americans in 2017. Thats 40,000 americans. As compared to nearly the same number of people die from Breast Cancer last year yet theres no dispute that Breast Cancer is a Public Health issue. So you know what happens when we treat Motor Vehicle death as a Public Health issue, the number of Motor Vehicle deaths is decreased by 45 . Doctor, in my home city of philadelphia there was 154 killings and 631 victims of gun violence in just the First Six Months of 2019. Not to mention that thousands of family members and friend was affected by death or injury of a loved one by gun violence. This, doctor, guns took the lives of 102 children and young adults in philadelphia just in one year. This is why its critical that the Senate Address the issue as our chairman has indicated and what he has stated. This is a Public Health issue. The inquiry just did a story about a title called shot and forgotten, which i encourage everyone to read. Partly in response to that story senator casy and i introduced the resource of victims of gun violence act. We have 62 cosponsors in the house and i encourage all members to sign on. We must make sure that victims get the help they need. Doctor, why is it imperative that we provide resources to those affected by gun violence . Because theyre suffering. People who have been shot face longterm physical and psychological disability. The people around them face trauma as weve heard and are impaired in their social and emotional lives. Entire communities are adversely affected. I would argue theres a moral imperative that we would provide those resources. Let me double down. I think there is a moral imperative that we provide support for research. There is no such thing as intervening effectively with a complex Health Problem without understanding it. We dont fly blind when we go after Breast Cancer. We dont fly blind when we go after opioids or heart seize or Motor Vehicle injuries, but we are asking ourselves to fly blind when it comes to intervening and preventing firearm violence. Thats just wrong. I thank you, mr. Chairman, for that time. I yield back ap and again, i want to thank the chairwoman, it was under other leadership that we got youre recognized for four minutes. Thank you, mr. Chairman, let me start by saying since april of this year, i represent st. Louis, missouri. And we are quickly becoming known as the murder capital of america. And since april more than a dozen teenagers and children between the ages of two and 17 have been killed by gun violence. So let me start with the colon colonel. I heard you mention that made sense for hr8 to pass through the senate and get to the president s desk as well as the charlotte i mean, the charlotte loophole. Let me ask you. Would it be helpful if local governments could determine their own firearms regulations instead of being dictated to by the state, their respective states . Right now, 23 states limit local government from passing more stringent firearms regulations than what is allowed by the state. I mean, can i hear your opinion on that . Do you think local government would be a good place to start . Yes, i agree, local government is a great place to start and Fairfax County has started that for years and obviously getting past their General Assembly in richmond is an obstacle. Obviously, virginia is a gun rights state. Like many other states, but when we talk about the issues in the local level of these mass tragedies or individual tragedies, and we do the psychological autopsy, if you will, of the person that inflicted the violence, were lacking legislations to prevent those. We know what these psychological autopsies or homicide investigations reveal to us and when i talk to my peers across this country through major city chiefs, especially, our ability to also on a National Effort report the tracking of firearms, such as transfers, the loss or the theft of firearms, its not consistent. I sit on the chair of the fbis National Incident base reporting system, and on an annual basis we wrestle with that on a National Level to track all of this. So, yes, we need to take local action at the same time because were not getting the federal action. On the issue of open carry, and im not sure what virginias laws are, but, i mean, do you ever get reports of citizens calling in and saying, hey, i saw somebody strapped with an Assault Rifle carrying it open or someone was carrying it a side arm open. Do you ever give that dont the callers find that alarming . We get those calls all the time in fairfax, virginia. Its an open carry state. Its to train your officers and callers to get as much tactical information as possible, that, too, is a tragedy waiting to happen if our officers and dispatchers are not trained to take the right action, we could take the wrong action creating fear in the community. I can imagine. Mr. Chairman, my time is up. Thank you very much mr. Chairman for your leadership in this important hearing and the committee, along with the speaker for her comments earlier during the hearing. I am one of the cochairs of the victims rights caucus and the victims rights caucus, bipartisan effort here for years deals with the effects of gun violence across america. And clearly what this committees trying to do is not only pass meaningful legislation in congress, but to shed a light and to try to coordinate a strategy that involves all of our society in america, because this is an epidemic. Yesterday a High School Students felt might shoot up a school later post. And Police Arrested a 16yearold fresno students after the teen allegedly shared an Instagram Post about shooting up a school. School alerted authorities to the post and police say its a photo of a student with the caption in quotes, felt cute, might shoot up the school later. Officers found the student on campus around 6 15 yesterday. The teen was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats. Last year, i cosponsored an effort with local Law Enforcement agencies, president of Unified School District to provide updated School Safety plans. We know about students now looking for bulletproof backpacks. We also did the same with local Law Enforcement agents and School Administrators and school groups. This is part of an overall effort. Yesterday in the merced, another community i represent, uspf employee shot in the head while walking home from work. Its everywhere, clearly. And colonel, i appreciate your emphasis on the background checks and you were asked what else can be done and you said clearly that theres multiple efforts on the strategy because we know no single solution is going to solve this crisis in america. I guess id like the good doctor from uc davis and Law Enforcement, it seems to me what part is lacking despite the frustration that we have here with the senate is how we weave together a Cohesive Strategy that includes all of the above. Would either of you care to comment . One thread at a time. If i might. And one of those threads would be labeled extreme Risk Protection orders. I am responding to the anecdote you just mentioned. We know that 80 of the time people who commit Mass Violence declare their intention to do so in advance. People have notice of this. As High School Students. Exactly right. In our state, california and in 16 other states, people can do something. They can react to those threats and Law Enforcement can take action. There is federal legislation pending to encourage other states to do this and to adopt the federal erpo. To your point, it is the intention to protect against active shooters, bomb threats or other acts of violence. School lockdown is a precautionary measure issued in response to a direct or nearby threat, requires staff and students and to respond quickly and comply with the rules. We recently published 21 cases in california in which extreme Risk Protection orders were used in an effort to prevent a mass shooting. None of those Mass Shootings occurred. Colonel. When i take the school example, best practices across it country, School Resource officers, fabric of social media is where the threats are. We need to door knock, get them diverted into Mental Health immediately. Thank you, the gentlemans time has expired. Youre recognized for four minutes. Thank you, chairman thompson and thank you once again for holding this important hearing and forum as we continue to tackle the scourge of gun violence. And i want to thank each and every one of you that are sitting here today, thank you for your courage. Most specifically, destini, thank you very, very much its critical to be able to hear your voices. Your peers are going to be key in helping to really eradicate whats happening across the country in unnecessary gun violence. Thank you for your courage and fortitude to continue to be a voice of change. From School Shootings to violence in the communities, children should never ever have to live in fear of gun violence. I believe were at a critical moment for gun violence prevention, from expanding background checks to closing the charleston loopholes, the passing federal extreme Risk Protection order and thank you, doctor for mentioning that. We are all finally taking action. Today in education and Labor Committee which i just ran in, which we did markup the School Safety and preparedness act so that we can finally understand the problem of School Shootings impairically. This will allow us to learn more about how we can protect our children and provide resources to our schools as we work to prevent these tragedies and we must also continue to help our children who are facing gun violence away from school, in their communities, and even in their homes. We must make sure that were protecting children from the gun violence that doesnt always make the news headlines. As you have mentioned yourself, miss destini. My question is for the doctor, would data and collection be a helpful first step in addressing our gun violence in schools . Yes. There are very limited data on School Shootings, violence in schools, more generally violence around schools, which is where much of the problem is located. And more generally, there are very limited data on the nature and severity of violence in the United States, gun violence in particular, and important sources of information that were used for research in the past have been taken off the table. It is now i mpossible to get access to data used in critical studies for function of critical gun markets, for example, that research can no longer be done. New, and would you agree that the 50 million thats now been appropriated for the d c. D. C. And collection for School Shootings would be invaluable to be able to get to some solutions . Absolutely. I think that amount would be a very good start. Thank you, ms. Boggs, you may be aware of programs led by Sandy Hook Promise that teaches kids the signs of a person in crisis so we can prevent gun violence. How can we support these types of programs and what other steps can we take to empower our communities, our parents, and teachers to prevent gun violence . I think congress has the opportunity to fully fund title 4a. Which really is a comprehensive look at our School Safety. I think parents and teachers and Community Members need to be a part of the conversation to really come up with what works for their specific situation and their communities. Its important whenever we look at where were going. Oh, i was that type of leadership is really, really important i appreciate where youre going and what youre want to see happens. And what we have, and plus the 50 million is a great step forward. Thank you very much. Miss jackson lee. Youre recognized for four minutes. Thank you for the witnesses, for your presence here today. I could spend time longer than weve had the opportunity and forgive me for stepping out, were overlapping meetings, but i wanted to get here and say thank you. I want to run quickly through the questions. Were going to leave this last portion of this program on gun violence. A reminder, you can watch all of our programs online at cspan. Org. The senate is about to gavel in. Lawmakers continue to work on executive nominations today. Yesterday majority leader mcconnell filed cloture on brian mcguires nomination to be deputy undersecretary of the treasury. We expect a vote on his nomination today. The senate live here on cspan2. The president pro tempore the senate will come to order. The chaplain, dr. Black, will lead the senate in prayer. The chaplain let us pray. Savior of humanity, your unfailing love sustains us. Stagger freedoms enemies and bring them to their knees. Use our lawmakers so effectively