Cspan now, your front row view of washington. Nancy is the mayor of Highland Park. She called for immediate limitation of the federal assault weapons ban. She described the grief of those who lost Family Members and the wounds of those injured in her town during a fourth of july parade. Other witnesses also testified both for and against the band. Sorry that we have to gather in this room for this purpose, but i salute you for your commitment this meeting will come to order. I think all of those in attendance for so many people from illinois and Highland Park area. I am sorry we have to gather in this room for this purpose. On the morning of the 4th of july, 16 days ago aidan and his parents cabinet arena went out to celebrate Independence Day as a family. They stopped by their hometown parade, of Highland Park. Surely after 10 14 am, aidan lost both of his parents. It happened when a 21yearold gunman, with an eight with a military style ar15 rifle started shooting. Aidans father kevin used his body as a shield to protect even. Kevin and ethans mother arena were killed by gunfire. When the shooting stopped, eight and was found wandering around the parade route with his fathers blood smeared on his legs. I first heard about this from a rotary when i called her after hearing the news, and she talked about aidan, the little boy theyre still trying to identify. This other photo is cooper roberts, eight years old. He was at the parade that day with his twin brother, parents, and a bullet suffered a spinal cord. We pray that he will recover. But for the time being, he is battling paralysis from the waist down, and he has undergone at least several surgeries as a result of injuries, including one to reclose a bullet wound in his esophagus. Coopers twin brother luke had to be treated for shrapnel wounds to one of his legs. My heart is broken for these little boys, and for their families, and all the families mourning their loved ones and struggling to recover from this unspeakable act. Our nation was still reeling from the Mass Shootings in buffalo new york and uvalde texas when the horror came to Highland Park on the 4th of july. 83 rounds fired in less than 60 seconds. The gunman had perched himself on a rooftop and used a smith and weston semiautomatic rifle of the ar15 variety, and 3 30 round high capacity magazines to commit this massacre. He killed seven people. Their names are katherine goldstein, kevin an arena mccarthy, jacqueline sunday i, stephen straus, nicholas toronto derek elsa, and Eduardo Uvalde oh. Dozens more were injured, many are still hospitalized. Thousands experience to trauma that day that will be with him forever. The attack in Highland Park was a 309th mass shooting in america this year. There have been 47 more Mass Shootings since the fourth of july. This is a crushing number, when you consider its reflection on life and america. And it is disgraceful that we have done so little to stop. Too often the weapons that are used our military style assault weapons, designed to kill large numbers of people in a matter of seconds. My colleague, and the other senator from illinois, senator duckworth, well speak to that issue with their own special personal knowledge of it. I would like to turn to a short video that shows the threat our communities face when these were weapons, one of which was turned loose on Highland Park. He indiscriminately fired of the crowd and struck people at random. An stoppage religious rifle, similar to this one seen here, twice. The texas rampage comes to sundays after another shooting massacre at a supermarket in buffalo new york. Another mass shooting, the senator in california, on sunday. The release three smash evenings here in this country. 212 this year. In many parts of the u. S. , you only have to be 18 years old to purchase a weapon of war, and a stall tile rifle, like the ar15. The style of weapon used in many Mass Shootings, including the ones in sandy hook, las vegas, and uvalde. Waffle house, ar15. Buffalo, air 15. Boulder, orlando, parkland, aurora, colorado, midland odessa, so a synagogue, tree of life synagogue, Sutherland Springs, ar15. That is how fast, someone can shoot 30 rounds. One magazine, from an ar15. Those bullets from high powered rifle have a velocity of somewhere around 3000 feet per second. I am an emergency room doctor. I can tell you firsthand, the damage from an air 15th ballot is almost indescribable. It creates gaping holes, it liquifies organs, you cant have to. You cant had with an ar15 and eat the deer after. And that is with the surgeons, and the doctors, and the first responders, are facing when they are dealing with these mass shooting victims. They are weapons of war. Why do we allow our citizens to have such easy access to weapons of war . This is the tenth hearing the Senate Judiciary here hearing has held this congress, and how to reduce gun violence in america. The tenth. Today, we will discuss the threat our communities face when civilians as young as 18 years of age have easy access to military style assault weapons like ar15s, and no legal requirement for training. How did we get to this point . Why are these killing machines flying off the shelves, after they were banned, for a decade until 2004 . Maybe it is the ads that marketing assault weapons, symbols of independence, freedom, or the promise that owning an ar15 style again will make you more of a man. Or could it be the enticing prospect of toting around the same style of weapon that soldiers and marines used to defend our country in combat . These are the Marketing Tactics used by gun manufacturers like moss bergh, bush master, daniel defense. It is time to name and shame these companies. It is a disgrace that they have been shielded from accountability, even liability, for the devastation that has been caused by their products. I call them out on the center for last year, and i will do it again. These weapons are killing our kids, and our neighbors. In america, this land of the free, you can no longer go to the Grocery Store, a movie theater, a fourth of july parade, or send your kids to school, without fear falling victim to another senseless mass shooting. I want those who have lost so much to gun violence to know that i hear you, i see you, i stand with you in this fight for real change that goes beyond thoughts and prayers. Governor ports kerr made a comment after the shooting in Highland Park, which reflected the feelings all of us had. Heartbroken, for the victims and families, but furious that a fourth of july parade could turn into a killing field in the United States of america. I want to salute some progress, and in the last few weeks to pass the most significant gun safety law in nearly three decades. We have also confirmed an atf director for the first time in seven years, seven years. We have got to do more. If we are serious about reducing gun violence, we need to keep weapons of war where they belong, on the battlefield. In the police departments. Not in our communities. Today, we have a distinguished panel of witnesses ready to make that case, and i look forward to their testimony. Let me turn to senator grassley before recognizing my colleague. Senator grassley. For all of us it was tragic to hear about the recent shooting in Highland Park. July 4th. Just like buffalo, uvalde, other places throughout the country, senseless acts of violence have no place in our country. Particularly on a day when we should be celebrating our community, in solidarity as people. Our hearts break for victims and the families. As a father and grandfather, i cant imagine what you are going through. Sadly we witnessed another shooting in indianapolis over the weekend. Thankfully, a lawfully Armed Civilian with firearms stopped the shooter before more harm could be done. The gunman and Highland Park shooting was 21 years old. Held a valid illinois firearm owners identification card, he legally purchased five guns in four different transactions, passing federal background checks each time. Yet, like several other mass shooters, this perpetrator showed numerous warning signs over the years. He had previous contacts with police, he attempted suicide. A Family Member reportedly threatened to quote unquote, kill everyone. And his collections of knives were seized, yet he was not arrested, and no red flags were implemented when he purchased a firearm. Illinois has some of the most restrictive gun control laws in the country. But that didnt stop these murders. A young man was showing obvious signs that he is considering violence. But no one knew what the signs were. No one knew when his actions meant. No one interceded. No one stopped him. He would be easy to say that system just failed. That the police should have done more, his family should have done more. But there actually is something that would have made a difference. We have to educate the institutions in a persons life about these obvious signs of distress. These obvious signs that a person is heading towards mass violence. Schools in many states have implemented threat assessment models, but more institutions, including churches, workplaces, want to need training. We need to take affirmative steps on legislation for threat assessment, and prevention services. A study of hundreds of mass shooting incidents, conducted by two professors, show eerie similarities, repeated over and over, that arent always recognized. I know every member of this committee has heard me talk about, gets tired of me talking about the eagles act. That is named after the parkland, florida killing. Eagles was their school mascot. I first introduced this bill in 2018, it ought to be very non controversial. This legislation would provide funding to support secret Service National threat Assessment Centers efforts to conduct Cutting Edge Research into the prevention of violence. It would also enable the National Threat Assessment Center to create more of our nations schools and institutions in conducting threat assessments. And early intervention. Eagles is a vitally missing case that we have to implement if we want to reduce these Mass Shootings. We cannot afford not to do it. We cannot keep seeing a shooter after shooter follow the same productive predictable past, with nobody doing anything about it. It could be because they did not know what they were looking at. They did not know what to do. We have to fill this information gap with public education, right now the National Threat Assessment Center cannot afford to train everyone who wants this information. That has to change. I am pleading for that to change. I am not alone in these thoughts. Eagles is cosponsored by ten of my fellow senators representing both political parties. I will also base admitting a statement from the United States the secret Service Association supporting this legislation. I know many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to not like guns. Some are not particularly oppressed by the appeals of americans who desperately worry that one size fits all gun control will impede their right to selfdefense. I have spoken with many who are worried about restrictions on their right to selfdefense. I will be submitting, for the record, statements from the Asian Pacific Gun Owners Association and a Family Member of one of the victims from the shooting in Highland Park. Both were very concerned about restrictions being imposed on their right to self defend. For those who see no need for an armed citizen ray, they solution to Mass Shootings could include a ban on assault weapons. This has already been tried in the 90s and early 2000s. I did not support it then. These bands would be ineffective and non consistent with the right of selfdefense. 2004 department of justice study concluded that after ten years of assault weapons bans there was no statistically significant evidence that banning assault weapons reduced gun murders. We also know restricting gun control will hurt vulnerable communities that need to defend themselves against the horrible spite and Violent Crime that began two years ago. According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, they primary trade association from the gun industry and gun sales during the first half of 2020 increased year over a year 52 for whites, 59 for African Americans, 49 for hispanics, 42 to 43 for asians. These numbers continue to grow and restricting gun control only affects lawabiding citizens and will affect this new population of gun owners. Hs based on evidence that respects the need for selfdefense. There are bipartisan things we can do and i hope the eagles act will be one of them. I hope that will be very soon. I yield. Thank you, senator grassley. I want to acknowledge and i am sure i am going to miss someone in this incredible turnout on behalf of Highland Park, lake county, and illinois. I want to acknowledge the presence of state representative bob morgan. County sheriff john idol burke, the states attorney from lake county, eric reinhart, Daniel Shapiro who i met with earlier. Sandy heart, lake county board chair, and catherines islam, i hope i got close to pronouncing your name correctly from north brook. Lauren beth gauge, and i know the mayor will be here in just a moment. We will have to opening statements, one from senator duckworth and another from senator cornyn. I will recognize senator duckworth first. Thank you, mister chairman. Mister chairman, Ranking Member grassley, thank you for holding todays very important hearing. It has been 16 days since Good Samaritans found two year old aided mccarthy lying bloodied and pinned beneath his unconscious father in the chaotic aftermath of a deadly mass shooting at Highland Parks fourth of july parade. Just a toddler, aidan had somehow lost one shoe and was down to just one blood soaked sock. As he kept asking for his mom and dad. Tragically, we learned that arena and Kevin Mccarthy were among the seven people murdered in what has become a uniquely american phenomenon. Mass murderers wielding weapons of war to inflict terror and death upon innocent americans. My constituents and yours, as well, mister chairman, were eager to celebrate america at her best. Instead, they joined a rapidly growing number of victims who have experienced our nation at her worst. I still cannot get the image of athens one bloodied sock out of my mind. I am unable to stop thinking about what his future holds now. Or what his parents final thoughts might have been as they shielded their son from bullets writing down with their own bodies. That is why im here this morning, as the senator representing eight, and i refused to let my colleagues ignore how a weapon of war forever changed this little boys life and the lives of so many others. And, as a mom raising two little girls who are attending school, i refused to do nothing in the face of a deadly epidemic of gun violence that is now the leading cause of death of young americans, let me say that now. The leading cause of death of americans under the age of 16 is a cancer, is not cant car accidents, it is gun violence. Only in america, i am urging this committee to demonstrate courage in supporting a ban on assault weapons at large pasty magazines, we cannot stop every mass shooting, they Ranking Member spoke about identifying those with Mental Health issues, i agree we should do all of that, there are predictable steps that he mentioned which is part of it. Part of those predictable steps also includes, unfortunately, in recent years, they purchasing or building of assault weapons. It does not change the simple fact, after the assault weapons ban expired in 2004 and the Ranking Member quoted the statistics from 2004 that said there had been no significant change as of 2004. However, since that ban was allowed to expire Mass Shootings in this country have tripled. We have more recent data, the data shows that Mass Shootings in this nation have tripled since the assault weapons ban was allowed to expire. I want to be clear, restoring the assault weapons ban would not prevent sportsman from continuing to access more than 2000 bottles of powerful hunting whales, we are not talking about your 30 of sixes, no mass shooter is going to grab a 30 ought six to conduct a mass shooting. They are grabbing ar15s, they are buying the lower assemblies and building their own weapons of war. It will not stop a parent from teaching their child to shoot with a 22 like my dad did with me when i was seven years old. I grew up shooting, i enjoyed going to the range, but my enjoyment of going to the range should not outweigh a childs right to life, to live the fray from the scourge of assault weapons. My focus is on reducing our streets of a rifle that eugene stone are literally designed to meet Army Requirements for use in combat, when he designed the ar15 it was de opted by the military to become the and 16 that i carried as my weapon of war for my 23 years as a soldier. Large capacity magazines also need to be banned. These are the items that are fueling the rising rates of Mass Shootings. The armor light rifle 15 and the semi auto successors it spawned our weapons of war, from their portability, accuracy, rate of fire, ability to penetrate body armor and ease of reloading, both the military issued and the four carbine and the civilian ar15 and its variants are functionally similar, and they are designed for combat, they lack of three around bursts or full auto mechanism does not mean it fully reduce the ar15 compared to the end for, whether it is a soldier engaging the money in combat, or an uncaring untrained mass murderer hunting children in a school, any shooter looking to efficiently and kill multiple people without wasting ammunition will prefer and semiautomatic rifle coupled with a detachable large capacity magazine that enables rapid reloading. It chambers the rounds that quickly, as quickly as you can pull the trigger is chambering a new round. Every senator on this committee should study what happens to a body when struck by a round traveling at a speed of greater than 3003 present. As an emergency room doctor said, it liquifies your organs. Liquifies them. You have no chance of survival. You just seek out emergency room doctors who can show you what happens when a round penetrates a human body and high velocity and tumbles around exploding tissues and exploring those vital organs. It is one thing to read in horror that the sandy hook and uvalde families had to wait hours to in the fate of their bodies. But, have each of you truly reflected on why the parents had to submit dna tests to identify their massacred and murdered children . Have you imagine how it would feel when authorities told you that you could not view the body of your murdered child, after a baby, because there was nothing left of your baby that you could use to visually identify them. Plays, could you submit some dna. I beg you to question here are some chants about whether weaponry designed for war should be marketed and sold to civilians, but i am asking this committee to do is not easy. But, our childrens lives are worth the fight, we all swore an oath to defend the constitution, which was established to ensure domestic tranquility, promote general welfare, and to hear the blessings of liberty for our sounds and for future generations. I was in the Emergency Operation center immediately following the shooting in Highland Park. Let me tell you, allowing corporations to flood our communities with weapons of war has made a mockery of that sacred preamble. On my way here i looked at anderson manufacturing in kentucky, where they are currently selling ticket for the lower parts, with pistol grip, middle speck for an ar15 for 59 99. This is what we are talking about. Manufacturers taking advantage and making a profit on dead babies. We sure did not secure the blessing of liberty from stephen straus, nicholas stiletto circus a, and reena and Kevin Mccarthy, or for the countless americans who were nowhere near Highland Park but will now think flat twice before bringing their child to a hometown july 4th parade, or the millions of students like my baby girl, miley, who i recently witnessed taking part in an active shooter struggle, i was at her school to talk about memorial day with her sisters class, i looked through the window and i saw the line of preschoolers walking down the hallway, and i watched, and my heart broke as i watched my little girl who was taught to crouch down, with her head against the wall, covering her head, with her hands in their secure location. Knowing full well that a shooter with an ar15 coming in there she would not have a chance. No matter what her crouching position was. Americas heartbreaking new normal, where we were timely in grade in our children the traumatizing fear that at any moment they could be gunned down in their classroom, should not be acceptable to any one of us, we do not have to live this way. We can still hunt, we can still have an armed citizen or a, we can still go to the range and take our kids out and teach them target practice. We can do all of that without weapons of war. Weapons of war being available for 59 99, i am ready to restore the federal assault weapons ban and a bag every member of this committee to please, for the sake of all of our babies, join me in this effort, thank you i yield back. Thank you, senator, i know you have other things to attend for testimony today, yours was particularly impactful, particularly with the audience here and our constituents. Senator cornyn . Thank you, mister chairman. I am proud of the fact the United States Congress Responded to the voices of people across america following the recent shooting in uvalde, texas. He said, do something. Indeed, i believe theyre doing nothing was a dishonor, would be to dishonor those who want to thus to do something to deal with incidents like occurred in uvalde, and have occurred and you numerous are there places around the country. Along with senator tillis, i was one of the principal negotiators with senate senator, and senator murphy of the bipartisans communities act. I always thought the protested that legislation will be, will it save lives, and i believe it will. That i believe should be the test of any legislative action we take. In addition to focusing on the profile of some of the eliminated young men who lash out, not only committing suicide themselves, but taking the lives of others. We try to figure out how to get that people who are suffering from Mental Health crises, who none of us believe should have access to firearms. Indeed, under current law, someone with a Mental Health adjudication cannot pass a background check. Keeping guns out the hands of criminals. I believe that the Second Amendment, and good Public Policy are not mutually exclusive. And that is what we try to do in the bipartisan Safer Communities act. We also made the single largest investment in Community Based Mental Health care in american history. Something i believe that will save more young people who are going through Mental Health crisis, giving them access to treatment, counseling, medication, whatever it takes to help them live productive lives. And i believe the money that we invested in making our schools safer, will pay off. I dont think any parent ought to have to send their child to school, worried for their safety. I dont think any child should have to go to school worried about their safety. So i am proud of the work that we have dumb, and i am proud of the work that we have done before that in approving the background check system, the socalled brics next, National Background check system, following the Sutherland Spring shooting. But one thing i am unwilling to do is to erode the Constitutional Rights of lawabiding citizens. Lawabiding citizens are not going to commit these heinous acts. They are not going to commit crime. They are not going to be suffering from a Mental Health crisis, and lash, out and be a danger to themselves or others. And so i wonder about the focus on the firearm as an inanimate object. And then adamant objects wont cause harm to anyone. But it does, what does matter, if the person possessing that firearm, and certainly our focus has been keeping them out of the hands of people criminal records and people with Mental Health problems. One of the things i worry about, as the focus on the firearm that we have heard so far deflect our attention from other places where i think we could make a substantial difference. Things like focusing on the criminals, the committed 836 homicides last year in chicago alone. You know this came in the wake of the defund the Police Movement and the socalled ferguson effect. Where Law Enforcement officers were blamed job as opposed to the criminals that committed violent and illegal acts. I dont hear any commentary about the hundred and 8000 americans who died of drug overdoses last year alone. All of those drugs came across the southern border, virtually all of the drugs come across the southern border, and we have no border. The cartels i figured out how to flood the zone with migrants, and divert the attention, deflect the attention of Law Enforcement officers while the drugs for girls. And it is the criminal earrings in cities across america the commit most of the acts of violence using guns. Protecting their market share, their territory. Lashing out and killing innocent people. So i think, as horrific as these incidents are, one of the object lessons of what happened in Highland Park is, the strictest gun laws in the nation did not prevent this terrible act. And i think if we divert our attention from these other contributing factors to these terrible crimes bergeron, and terrible acts, that we are missing a possible solution to the problem. And i would finally just closed, mister chairman, thank you for your generous generosity and let me make the statement. It is not lost on me that and Sutherland Springs, stephen willard, this is a Little Baptist Church outside of san antonio, my hometown. In 2017, somebody was able to buy firearms illegally, because he had been convicted of a felony. Domestic violence, had been committed for Mental Health problems. Somebody who is disqualified from being able to buy a firearm, was able to buy one because the United States air did not upload that information into the background check system. With the person who saved lives that day was a man named stephen will furred. And again are a shooting instructor, who took his ar15 from his gun safe when he heard shooting at the southern springs and went down there and stop the shooter. We saw that happen again in indiana. Where he Good Samaritan was able to limit the damage the shooter was able to cause. Because these are lawabiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights. So i worry that, if our focus is simply on the instrumentality, on the firearm itself, and inanimate object to the detriment of these other contributing factors, that we will have missed the point. Maybe we will have stayed on our talking points, but it will not allow us to reduce the carnage that we are seeing in cities across the country, and regions across the United States. Thank you, mister chairman. Thank, you senator cornyn. The first panel of witnesses im going to welcome to the table in just a moment. We will have five minutes of testimony from each, and there will be open for questions from Members Committee at five minute rounds. So, i would ask if the witnesses on the first panel would all approach the table. If you could stand plays and raise your right hand. Do you swear in the testimony that youre about to give it to this committee will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you god. Let the record reflect the witnesses answered in the affirmative. I will introduce a Majority Party witnesses and senator grassley will introduce the Minority Party witnesses. Our first witness is nancy rotary, no mayor of Highland Park illinois. She has served as chief executive of her city since 2011. She was at the Highland Park fourth of julys parade when her community was attacked. She has worked tirelessly to help coordinate the response and recovery, console grieving families, and help your community recover. Years later, mayor irving led to efforts to pass an ordinance banning military style assault weapons and Highland Park. An ordinance that was challenged in part by in court by the gun lobby, and was upheld by the Second Circuit court of appeals. Thanks for being with, us mayor rotary. Dr. Kailyn hunter is a senior Political Science at the rand corporation. She previously served as director of the strategy and Warfare Center the u. S. Air force academy. As associate director of the institute for future reflected and as a professor of military and strategic studies, dr. Hunter is in the marine corps combat that trend with multiple deployments to iraq and afghanistan, as an age one w super cobra attack pilot. Doctor hunter, thank you for your service to america, and we are glad to have you. Joseph blocker is a professor and codirector of the center for firearms law duke university. He has taught at duke since 2009, his scholarship focuses on the issues of gun rights. Before joining the dukes faculty, we he worked for the second 11 circuits, and practice law in with meyers eloped where he is dusted with the merits briefing for the District Of Columbia and District Of Columbia versus howler. Now well turn to senator grassley introduces witnesses. Mister chairman, i want to tell you that at 11 i have time on the floor to speak. I will come back and ask my questions later on. That is fine, thank you. Russell bentley is a Senior Analyst with safe haven international. The Worlds Largest nonprofit k through 12 School Safety center. Mr. Bentley has over 20 years of Law Enforcement experience, with 15 years in executive positions within Campus Police agencies. He is a 2001 graduate of the fbi national academy, and contributing author to the textbook extreme violence, understanding, and protecting people from active assailants. Hit, crimes and terrorist attacks. Thank you for being with us, mr. Bentley. My next person to introduce is philip p smith. The founder and president of the National African american gonna so ca shun, a group he created in 2015 with the mission of educating and training African Americans in firearm safety, sportsmanship, and lawful defensive spot firearm use. His association is a 48,000 active members. It is a Strong Organization with 127 chapters located throughout 39 states, and the District Of Columbia. Welcome to you. Thank you, senator grassley. I will first recognize my first witness. Nancy. Good morning, chairman durbin, Ranking Member grassley, and distinguished member of the Senate Judiciary committee. Thank you for inviting me to discuss how we stop Mass Shootings. My name is nancy rotering, i am the mayor of Highland Park illinois. And all american, midwestern town. I was at the Highland Park fourth of july parade shooting and i will be haunted forever. Before i tell you my story, and fire personnel who ran directly into danger to save lives. They did everything right. They miraculously caught the shooter within hours and they are what true american heroes look like. It was a perfect summer day, the excitement of 3000 parade goers was palpable, especially since this was our first parade in two years post pandemic. Festive floats, a sea of children and adults in red, white, and blue rigging american flags. The council and i kicked off the parade, music and cheering were all we could hear as we head down the street. I looked left, i waved to my husband in the crowd. When i did not know, at that moment, was that just to my right on a one story rooftop, a 21yearold was preparing to traumatized my hometown forever with an assault weapon. Shortly after weigh persuaded down the parade route, i turn to my colleagues and questioned why the marching band had stopped playing music, and was only playing the drum cadence. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap. I then saw a sea of marching band members sprinting down the sidewalk. Some with two but still entwined around their bodies. I realize later the sound i have heard later was not drum cadence, it was a sound of an assault weapon. Myself phone buzz and a shooter on the roof of the local store had shot dozens of rounds into the parade crab. Fire and Police Vehicles were roaring towards us. We pivoted and started emergency evacuation. We were screaming run, shooter adults stared back, not comprehending. But the kids knew immediately, this was not a drill. They yelled to everybody, run and hide, they knew it was happening. Grandparents were rubbing from cover, toddlers are being placed in dumpsters for safety. The bodies of those who were hit were scattered on the ground. We now know that 22 year old Cassie Goldstein told her mom katie to run, but katie was hit in the chest and kathy had to tell her mother she loved her but she could not stop, because bullets were still flying. She kept running to safety, hiding behind a garbage can. When the shooting stopped, cassie returned to find her mother lifeless. Local doctors and volunteer Community Response teams tied to the severely wounded as paramedics arrived. The shooter was still at large. A photo of a theory i toddler clutching a blanket flashed on my phone. Whose child was this . People were hiding in an underground garage wondered when nobody was looking for this missing child. Later we learned it was twoyearold Aidan Mccarthy who had dried blood on his legs, socks, and sneaker. He was found under his fathers body and carry to safely. No one was frantically looking for him because no his mother and father had been murdered at the parade. The governor and i attended the funerals. We heard about jackies love of knitting and somebody else missing his summary of birthday. We learned how hot shrapnel melted into the arms and legs of his relatives. Stephen strauss widow asked was he unconscious, was he alone . The Police Commissioner stayed with him the entire time. Both of nicholass grandchildren attended on crutches. The impact of gunfire on their grandfather required a closed casket. Sitting with him at the parade, they experienced firsthand the gory effect this ammunition, with this velocity has when hitting a human head. Dr. Keith lee roberts left the hospital immediately after her own major surgery to be with her eightyearold son, cooper, who shredded esophagus, ripped liver, and severed spinal cord continue to threaten his life. His twin brother, luke, was shot in the leg. Liz three year old daughter was handed to strangers while liz was rushed to the hospital while a bullet pierced her pelvis. She has shrapnel in her leg and may never walk unassisted again. Less than a minute is all it took for a person with an assault weapon to shoot 83 rounds into a crowd, forever changing so many lives. The most disturbing part, this is the norm in our country. Highland park had the uniquely American Experience of a fourth of july parade turned into what has now become a uniquely American Experience of a mass shooting. How do we call this freedom . Other advanced nations live free of fear of gun violence, we know that Mental Health issues exist everywhere in our world. American mayors, and i have talked to several in these past few weeks, fear not if but when a mass shooting is going to hit their towns, what is different about the u. S. . The u. S. Has civilian access to assault weapons and large capacity magazines. That is the only differentiating factor, in 2013 in the wake of sandy hook we, as a city, banned large capacity magazines. We knew the federal ban will be most affective but the local band reflecting the values of our community was the only option under a law. Local governments cannot do this alone, Congress Must take action. You must federally man large capacity magazines, today is the day start saving lives. Thank you. Thank you, mayor rotering. Mr. Bentley . Check your microphone, sir. Thank you. Chairman durbin, Ranking Member grassley, the other honorable members of the judicial community, i appreciate your concern for School Safety and im grateful to have an opportunity to do my best to try to assist you in your efforts. My name is russell bentley, i am here on behalf of the Worlds Largest k12 safe schools center, Safe Havens International incorporated. Safe havens is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, Non Governmental Organization whose efforts have worked in all 50 states, u. S. Territories, and over two dozen countries. With the goal of having to make schools safer wherever students happen to live and attend school. Safe haven analysts have assisted the u. S. Department of education, justice, homeland security, and provided assistance to School Safety efforts of the administrations of president william clinton, president george bush junior, and president barack obama. As well as Government Agencies in canada, india, israel, poland, vietnam, and trinidad and tobago. To make schools safer for students in those who are dedicated their lives to educating them. I have been a school fulltime School Safety practitioner for more than 32 years. And, i have worked in k to 12 School Districts, face based, charter, and independent schools in over 30 states. My main message for you today is, while there are many things that can make schools safer, i would like to see greater access to, and utilization of, the immense, excellent, unparalleled School Safety resources that have been developed by a host of fellow Government Agencies over the past three decades. The u. S. Department of education, justice, moments a carrot, a United States equal service, the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, and firearms, the federal Law Enforcement training center. The u. S. Department of homeland security, cyber security, and infrastructure security agency. And, other federal agencies and departments that have worked tirelessly to develop what i feel is superb resources and programs available at no cost to our nations schools. Theyre in our School Safety security climate, culture, and emergency assessments, more than 8500 k to 12 schools, and our official post incidents assistance for 23 active assailant and targeted shootings in k12 schools, we have found that Many School Districts and nonpublic schools still lack some extremely effective, and important measures. One, particular is in my experience with student threat assessment and management. Working with School Social workers in the early 1990s, i was the deputy chief of school police. Our department developed what was likely the first multiple disciplinary threat assessment team, which helped to avert tragedies including a planned middle School Bombing by a deeply troubled student, who espouse nazi beliefs and desire to kill African American students. We had such success with this approach, and using federal grants, we formed intervention teams with School Social workers and School District police, working on patrol cars and each team. Since that time, multiple federal agencies and experts from various sectors have dramatically advanced students to the rest assessment and management processes. Unlike many other approaches, threat assessment management teams, Office Equipment protection regardless of the type of weapons use, the time of day, he location of the attack. They are protected and seen ploy ease in classrooms, lunchrooms, media centers, school grounds, school buses, and athletic events. While there many other things that can and to make our nation schools safer, i would urge you to do what you can to enable the National Threat Assessment Center of the secret service to build upon this incredible, important body of knowledge, and you can in the words of so many under the inspired leadership of both parties, and everybody center with Additional Resources to provide greater support to our nations public and non public schools. I have immense faith in the ability of the dedicated men, and women of the center, to improve our ability to prevent plan acts of school violence. Thank you for your service to our nation, and allowing me to share my thoughts with you today. Thank you, mr. Bentley, dr. Hunter. Thank you. It does not. Scene there we go. All right, chairman sherman, Ranking Member grassley, members of the committee. Thank you for the invitation to testify today. Before i begin, i dont recognize the residents of Highland Park who are here with us in the audience. As a combat veteran, i want to acknowledge that the sounds and images you may have heard wouldve been very troubling, given your recent experience. And i thank you for your bravery staying in the audience through that. We owe it to the victims of gun violence, their families, and the American People, to ensure they can violence prevention policy is based on objective facts. Actionable solutions only come when we are willing to take a clear and look at the state of the science. And that includes looking at the role of assault weapons, are commonly called, modern sporting rifles. In Mass Shootings. Today, i will present to you what is known about these weapons, and their role in mass shooting events. So that you can make informed policy decisions that will keep our communities safer. I will do this by addressing three points. First, these weapons have an outsized impact on injury and death. Second, i will show it we know and can logically infer about the efficacy of assault weapons bans. And third, i will discuss why it is essential to ensure access to quality research. Assault weapons have an outsized impact on injury ended up. Thankfully, these weapons are used in the minority of firearm homicides. However, they are disproportionately used in Mass Shootings. Particularly public matthew tings, with the fbi has shown a rose by 50 from 2020 to 2021. When an assault weapon is used in one of the shootings, theyre more than 14 times more injuries, and twice as many deaths than when any other type of weapon is used. It is because these weapons are designed to kill as many people as quickly as possible. As senator duckworth said, they are descendant of armor lies to air 15, design that was created in the 1950s, and adopted in the mid 1960s as the f16 service weapon. This weapon has been used by Service Members and every conflict since vietnam. I used them as a marine. And as a service weapon, they have several advantages. They are lighter weight, they are shorter, they have later bullets, they can do more bullets more quickly, and their bullets are designed to do damage to the human body, and even shoot through a standard issue military helmet. In short, it is a great service. Indeed, the very design of this firearm, and the benefit that it brings to this intended purpose, maybe responsible for its outsized impact on injury and death of Mass Shootings. Second, which is researching logic tell us . Studies on the impact of previous federal or current state assault weapon policies our view. So it is important that we use logical deductions to consider carefully the impact of these bands. While there is little evidence of the ban of assault weapons reduces the overland since a crime, knowing that they do result in larger levels of injury and death, given that we know this, we can infer that they will significantly reduce the number of entries and that. There is also research to show states with strong gun laws have lower levels of all types of gun violence. But states and localities, to include Highland Park, which has an assault weapons ban, are limited in their ability to protect their communities. There are no hard borders between cities or states, and limited trace data we do have, shows that weapons flow from areas of more permissive laws, two areas with more restrictive laws. Finally, the fact that we havelimited rigorous scholarship on the agatha sea of these bands, should not be taken to mean that these policies do not reduce injuries and death. But that there is just little available research. And a portion of this can be traced to the lack of federal investment in the inability of researchers to access essential data. The effort to prevent research on this topic has resulted in a lack of understanding, and discussions that devolve into partisan talking points, rather than a meaningful discussion of the facts. Between 1997, and 2019, federal funding of Gun Violence Prevention Research was virtually nothing. And over this 20year dearth of funding, gun policy has paul policy sciences been put behind or complex public Health Issues that we have Evidence Based Solutions for this country. Access to quality data, notably traced data from the atf, has also been stymied by the federal government. Enacting new gun laws requires a balance between Public Safety, and individual rights. Access to firearm trey status in essential tool to understand how guns get into the hands of criminals including mass shooters. Members of this committee have repeatedly called for laws that target prosecuting felons trying to buy illegal guns. And we know that one and three mass shooters are committed by an individual who is prohibited from purchasing a firearm. Yet we as researchers are unable to use trace data to study patterns and trends to help inform a supply side approach, the prevent criminals from accessing guns to include criminals on the other side of the border. And thereby, keep our community safer. We owe it to our fellow americans to make quality decisions based on what we know. We know that the presence of these weapons and i had some as shooters increases injury in that. If there is a decision to act, states in localities may be challenged to act on their own. And we know that the best way to make good policy, its to have good research, and the prohibitions on research continue to cost lives. Thank you. I look forward to answering your questions. Thank you, dr. Hunter. Mr. Smith can you hear me . Chairman, Ranking Member grassley, and a single verse of the committee. My name is philip t smith, and i am honored to testify today. As the president of a Firearms Organization, isnt needed National Conversation regarding firearms, and i appreciate the opportunity to be a part of it. A little bit about myself. I was born and raised in brazil california, graduated from the universe of california davis. Im married to my lovely wife glanced with a 20 years, and three kids. I am also a proud member of alpha file but fraternity. I and the president of the National African american got association. We are the largest African American Firearms Association is reUnited States and arm have over members with chapters and numbers in every state. We are pro today, pro constitutional carry, and pro black Firearms Organization with no apologies. We have grown tremendously and seven years with a diverse weight of folks joining. You name it, and we have that person with an organization. What is especially significant is the surge of black women joining. Yes, black women are coming. And they are coming in large numbers. Currently, they are the Fastest Group of new gun owners in the United States. And i am proud to say that they are the backbone of the National African american got association. Never before have this many black people in the United States had guns. It is estimated that at least 14 million, currently in for firearms in their homes. What is happening is that our community has awoken, and we are taking steps to protect ourselves legally. Today, at this hearing, i am representing the millions of black people in this country past and present, that have been unable to seize the opportunity to protect themselves through the Second Amendment. I will be their voice. I will be there defender. The history of black americans in this country as well documented. With slavery being a social and legal burden we had to fight. What is not known as there were laws called the black codes in 1865 that prevented black folks from owning any kind of firearm. If a black person was caught with a gun they could be killed, no questions asked, on the spot. The goal of these laws was to keep the black community under control, and defenseless. Today, in 2022 restricting american citizens from purchasing firearms has the same effect as the black codes of 1865. The end result is people, especially black folks, are unable to secure a gun, which leaves them vulnerable. To me that is unacceptable and unamerican. They will now allow millions of gun overs whose rights were restricted. Which crime has significantly larger impact on black communities. It is even more important we have the ability to defend ourselves exactly as the decision affirms. Focusing on banning rifles like the ar15 is an exercise in futility. It is in direct conflict with the Second Amendment, robs us of our right to use the best tools available to defend ourselves, and will only result in access to the money, and private security to defend themselves. They misinformation about the air 15 is incredible. Let me demystify the firearm right now so we can all be on the same page. The ar15 is not a fully automatic machine gun, like the and 16 years by the military. It is a semiautomatic rifle. In other words, you pull the trigger once and only one bullet comes out. Just like a pistol and just like a shotgun. Banning the ar15 will not have any impact on violence. Studies have already shown this from the previous ban in the 90s. Bad people with bad intent will still have guns to cause harm to our most vulnerable americans. Black americans, you cannot pass laws to solve the human condition of violence, or evil. We must look at the root crossed of these shootings and that requires tough, Uncomfortable Conversations within our nation, thank you for allowing me to address this committee and the serious subject matter in our country today. Thank you thank you, mr. Smith, professor blocker. Chairman durbin. Chairman durbin and Ranking Member grassley, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is joseph blocher. I am a professor of law at Duke Law School were also codirector the center for firearms law, i am testifying here today purely in my individual capacity. As this individual considers laws and policies to keep americans safe from the rest and reality of devastating Mass Shootings like what happened in july 4th. It does so in the wake of the Supreme Courts recent decision in new york rifle so ca shun versus bruen, that case announced a new legal test governing constitutional challenges to any gun laws that congress or the states may pass. Including Highland Parks municipal assault weapons ban which survived an earlier ban. How the test is applied will have a Significant Impact on how to protect Public Safety and it is critically important that the committee and the American People understand the new judicial framework. On my brief remarks i want to focus on two points in particular. The first is that Justice Thomass majority opinion adopt a new test for the constitutionality of gun laws under the Second Amendment. According to the court the constitutionality of modern firearms regulations, designed to address contemporary real world problems, will now depend solely on whether they are, in some sense, consistent with historical tradition, not on whether they are effective in preventing serious harms. Properly applied, such a test should still uphold most modern gun laws because regulation of Deadly Weapons is part of the common law tradition since before this nations founding. Historians have written volumes on the topic in the duke center for firearms law host the repository of historical gun laws. Which, in it, has more than 1500 illustrative historical regulations. But, the courts know test does open the door to an enormous amount of judicial description, because the court has done little to explain how we are supposed to determine whether a modern law is relevant lee similar to a historical one. Days after the decision and case was filed in d. C. , challenging the prohibition of guns in the metro. Is the metro relevancy similar to the medieval fairs and markets where win weapons were heavily regulated. Similar questions will arise to any number of Second Amendment cases. The ar15s that we have been discussing, are they relatively similar to muzzle loading flintlock muskets, are domestic abusers prohibited under federal law today, relatively similar to groups that were disarmed at the founding, mr. Smith just spoke of another reason to be skeptical of the historical record, which is the prior groups disarmed those who refused to take loyalty loans and people of color. This will involve a great deal of judicial description into finding the scope of the inquiry and choosing historical compares, it introduces substantial uncertainty and will make the content of Second Amendment law even more obscure to the hundreds of millions of people whose lives are governed by it. My second point is that despite its methodological weakness, bruen does not mean the end of gun safety legislation. The Court Majority emphasize that it was only striking down new yorks law, and it specifically approved alternative forms of licensing for concealed carry, such as shall issue laws that provide more objective criteria for licenses. Concurring opinions by justices alito and kavanaugh, they later joined by chief justice roberts, emphasize that properly interpreted, the Second Amendment allows a potentially wide variety of gun regulations. In evaluating one of those laws are analogous to modern ones, courts will have to ask, as ruined says, whether they are relevant lee similar, especially with respect to how and why they burn peoples ability to have guns. And, to determine whether something is relevant a similar not only permits but requires the kind of contemporary evidence that this committee is considering today, it is simply impossible as a matter of law or logic to compare modern gun laws to historical ones without evidence about the former. The courts decision and brewing is problematic and instructional to constitutional law, but is not the end of evidence based gun policy or the important work of this committee. Senator cornyn, earlier you said the Second Amendment and good Public Policy is not the exclusive. That remains true after bruen. Thank you, professor blocher, mayor rotering, the gun lobby often claims the best way to stop mass shooters is to have lots of people carry guns. Bystanders can engage a mass shooter and shoot them as well. Of course, that approach is good for the gun lobbys guns. They looked at how many times a bystander stopped a vast shooter. It happened 22 times out of 433 Mass Shootings. Ten of those incidents, half of them involved a bystander who happens to be a security guard, or an offduty Police Officer. It can happen, although is very rare systematically and many states have concealed or open carry with no requirement of training whatsoever. My question to you is this, how much can we count on a good guy with a gun to stop a mass shooter, when the mass shooter has an ar15 style assault weapon that can empty a 30 round magazine in about as one any weapons . A good guy with a gun would have had no impact on the shooter. We have heard from hundreds of parade goers, they had hundreds of explanations of where the shooting had come from, they could not identify even where the shooter was, the area where this took place, there were bullets ricocheting off of walls, there was a courtyard, we had good guys with guns on site who are trained, who got there within seconds and it was just too hard to see where he was, we also know that these weapons and bullets could pierce kevlar, we think that the fact that we had less than a minute should tell anybody who thought that a good guy with a gun would have had an impact. The only thing that would have happened would have been more chaos and carnage, you would have had people shooting all over the place, that would have been a disaster in Highland Park. So, technically, your police and Law Enforcement were outgunned by the shooter in Highland Park. They were, and literally because it was so quick they got there within seconds but hundreds have people had hundreds of explanations. My own husband was right there, he thought the shooter had been on the street, he was right in the middle of it all. Everybody gave different stories. Professor blocher you have read the bruen opinion and i have as well. What does it say about potentially banning assault weapons or requiring official training in the weapon before you can own one . Nothing directly, the court is very clear that it is rolling only on the legality of may issue public carry restrictions, like the one new york had in place and other populist states to. The majority and the concurring opinions were very clear that the Second Amendment still permits various forms of gun regulation, certainly those involving certain kinds of arms, i think that the question Going Forward will be about the historical analogues in the lead up to brew in, prohibitions on assault weapons and high capacity magazines have been universally upheld in the federal courts, there were some lower court and Panel Opinions that held them into questions, they all held pending bruen. Now, the litigation will be about whether assault weapons constitute the kind of dangerous and unusual weapons that the court inhaler and bruen emphasized can be prohibited, consistent with the Second Amendment. Or suspect that is where most of the litigation will be and the evidence you are hearing today is provocative on that question. Let me stick with the inanimate object argument that we have heard. It is just a piece of material, weaponry, plastic and steel and so forth. And, i wonder how that logic applies to grenade launchers. Would not allow those to be legally sold to americans, they are just inanimate objects. We do not allow automatic objects to be sold to americans, where holding the trigger continues to fire round after round after round. Could you describe whether you think there is an analogy . I think that weapons, and firearms in particular, intensify violence, generations of research have shown us that, dr. Hunter had spoken to this earlier, certain kinds of gun restrictions may not lessen the number of criminal incidents, but what they do is, what weapons do is intensify the violence that is inflicted, that is the nature of the instrument, that is why some people want them for selfdefense, it is what criminals wanted for criminal use. There is not much to the idea that the instrument alone is inert, of course it is but the question is what happens with that instrument in various situations . Whether it is being put to good use or bad. Thank you, senator finds . Thank, you mister chairman. I am sorry, just a second, senator cornyn just returned. Sorry. Senator cornyn . Thank you, mister chairman. Mr. Smith, you talked about the increase in the number of African Americans who purchased firearms, including African American women, in the race and passed, what do you attribute that to . Thank you for the question, senator, it is multifaceted but the one overriding thing that i am seeing from my perch as the president of the organization is that black women feel like they need to be able to protect themselves, not waiting for a guy on a white horse to fly in and save them, they want to be able to protect themselves if someone breaks into their home at 2 00 in the morning they do not have the time to tell that someone is breaking their home, hold on, let me call the police, they have to be able to deal with that threat right down in there and that is what they are doing, women are taking it upon themselves to be very independent and self reliant, they are purchasing firearms. Where do you live . I live outside of atlanta, georgia. Okay, are you familiar at the fact that last year alone there were 836 homicides in chicago . I understand chicago is a very interesting place in terms of violence, yes. Do you have an opinion on whether that violence is predominantly caused by criminal street gangs . I have talked about this many times in many conversations and interviews, if we are serious about helping poor folks, and lets be specific, we are talking about poor black and brown folks, give them jobs, take away super incarceration of them at an earlier age, where they have two or three felonies by the time they are 23 and 24 years of age, give them the ability to go out and secure employment. Those folks are doing with anyone else would do if you cannot find a job, sell drugs, beat people up, they will do whatever it takes to take care of the babies they have at home, and they have kids at home, but we have to, as a country, to save them, is to do something other than say, those guys are bad left just throw them in jail one and again and again, more and more like that we have to think holistically to get a solution, my personal belief and i am not a scholar like some of the folks on this table, but i am a black man who is 63 years of age and has been in this country for a long time, if you give people employment and a reason to buy into the american dream, like all of us have been able to do in a certain extent in this dream, we will see dramatic changes in peoples behavior, what they believe, and what they dont believe. Thank you for your explanation of what an Assault Rifle is, in reality. It is a semiautomatic rifle, correct . That is correct. And, is an ar15 the only type of semi automatic rifle on the market . There are a multitude of guns, so many manufacturers out there purchasing guns that you have a lot of choices, one thing i wanted to point out that i brought up in my statement, when you pull the trigger on an ar, it is no different than when you pull a trigger on a pistol or shotgun. Only one bullet comes out. That is an important point because i think a lot of people are under the impression that it is an automatic weapon, for example. That is correct. In terms of the mechanism by which a semiautomatic rifle works, in principle is it any different from a semi automatic pistol, or other semi automatic weapon . They similarities are pretty even in terms of that. I am not a gun smith and i am not a person who puts together guns, but when you buy a pistol or you buy a shotgun, the mechanism to pull the trigger is relatively the same. One poll of the trigger will produce one bullet coming out of that particular gun. So, if congress were to take updates gestion of banning assault weapons, semiautomatic weapons, is there any reason in principle why that same ban would not apply to other types of firearms . I will say this, and i appreciate the question, senator, i say this a lot to my folks, gun rights and gun violence are two separate conversations, and two separate events, but one happens when we have this deeply passionate conversation, we merge those two and refused to look at the nuances. So may, if we are very serious about helping folks, stop looking at restriction after instruction after restriction, law after law, after law, after law. You can throw 100 laws on that wall right there. I can fill this room up was a whole bunch of folks who back my fifth position. We need to look at what is going to really solve the issue, that is looking at the human condition, that is what we are all failing to do in this room right now. People are hurting and scared, people are in trouble. You are familiar with the fact that 60 of the gun deaths in america are suicides . Are you aware of that . Yes i am, sir. Thank you. Thank you. Senator feinstein. Thank you, mister chairman, for me this is a very emotional hearing need. On may 14th, an 18 year old was killed, killed ten people in a Grocery Store in buffalo new york, using an assault weapon. A week later, an 18 year old killed 19 children, and two teachers, at an Elementary School in uvalde, texas. Using an assault weapon. On a fourth of july, a 21yearold killed seven people and injured dozens more at a Community Parade in Highland Park, illinois, using an assault weapon. And, just this past weekend a 20 year old helped killed three people, and injured two others at a Shopping Mall in greenwood, indiana losing assault weapon. The 41 People Killed in these four shootings in just the half two months, think about that. They would still be with us today if it were not for the easy access that people, and particularly young people, have to assault weapons. I also believe it is congresss job to make sure we are safe going to the Grocery Store, to school, to parades, and Shopping Malls. That safety is not happening. I believe the solution is simple, we must ban assault weapons. Assault weapons are basically weapons of war, they have no place in our communities. The federal saw ups ban is in place from 19 94 to 2004. A 2016 study showed that durham that time the number of gun massacres fall by 37 . And, the number of people dying from gun massacres fell by 43 . And they ten years after the ban lapsed, there was a 183 increase in massacres, and a 239 increase in massacre deaths. So it is clear that the assault weapons ban helped make our communities safer. I strongly believe we must pass it again. Doctor hunter, how do assault weapons differ from other types of firearms . Do you believe a ban on assault weapons would be effective . Thank you. Thank you very much for the question. As a native california, it is great to see you as well. When we talk about these weapons, there is a lot of discussion around semiautomatic automatic, three around burst, that refers to a firing mechanism. Each time you pull the trigger one bullet comes out. There are far different characteristics between different types of weapons. Shotguns you pull the trigger one time, one bullet comes out. Very different type of round, very different muzzle velocity. If you just start there and there is quite a bit of medical research that shows that the combination of the 223 or a 556 round. A lot of this does come from the military medical community as well, in combination with the muzzle velocity on these weapons do an incredible amount of damage to the human body. That is what they were designed to do. That is substantially different than a nine millimeter around. That was declined for a clean entry, hell type wound as opposed to a round that was designed to not just kill but also may, disable, disarm. If you injure someone, have a far greater extent for injury, which is something that is good for combat. We are seeing it happen here, there is also some substantial differences in the size and creation of this rifle. It was designed to be later, if we look at the m 16 as posed to the m one. Which was the Previous Service weapon, there is a three pound differential. This is a lighter and more manoeuvrable than several of the other hunting rifles that you may see. That you commonly see. I think it is important that when we talk about weapons, we talk about more than just whether they are semiautomatic or fully automatic. The caliber, the muzzle velocity, the way, he maneuverability. All of these are characteristics of the weapons that are important as well. Thank you, i also the assault weapons legislation that was law. I have introduced legislation for this session. I also, following the tragic attack in buffalo, a bill called the age 21 acts, alongside some of my senate colleagues. Including several members of this committee. This bill would prohibit the sale of assault style weapons, and high capacity magazines, to anyone under the age of 21. They shooters and buffalo, uvalde, Highland Park, and greenwood all obtained their assault weapons when they were under the age of 21. If this bill had been law, it would have prevented these for shooters from killing a combined 41 people. And so, it is rather simple, if you cannot buy a handgun you should not be able to buy an assault weapon. Doctor hunter, do you believe prohibiting the sale of assault weapons to individuals who are under the age of 21 would help protect our communities from gun violence . There is not a whole lot of research around age restrictions. Whats the evidence does show us is that when these weapons are used in Mass Shootings they create a disproportionate number of injuries and deaths that we have. And, speaking from the science that is what we know. When these show up in Mass Shootings there is more injury and death. Thank you, senator feinstein. Thank you. Senator hirono . I am sorry, senator grassley has returned. I want to the senate floor and i could not get the time to get my speech. I came back here. Mr. Bentley, i want to follow along your expertise. You heard me talk about the bill i have to involve greater secret Service National threat Assessment Center. You spoke to that as well. And, whether schools are places of worship or other Community Organizations it seems to me it is a step we had ought to take. Is behavioral threat assessment the best method to identify and individual mobilizing towards violence and interstate before a violent act is committed . The process of behavior threat assessment, coupled with Emergency Preparedness training and physical security measures helps provide safer schools, places of worship, and Safer Communities if they are coupled together with fidelity and individuals are educated in that process. We. Behavioral threat assessment, for you again, are utilized by schools, workplaces, Civil Society organizations to the folks closest to the person moving towards violence can recognize the signs and involve Law Enforcement if appropriate. There is some who do not believe we should be involving Law Enforcement with a person who is getting closer and closer to violence. In part because they distrust police. Do you believe that organizations desire to implement should have access to training, necessary to implement such programs. That is one of the things that i am here for. A number of the schools and organizations, places of worship that we work with, are not getting the good information that is out there. And the training that would enable them to better recognize and inform individuals, who are in positions of making decisions about situations that are occurring. Better education of school in place from the superintendent down to the individuals that work in the lunchroom would be beneficial and providing safe and secure learning environments. Mr. Smith, your organization filed in the new York Rifle Association versus bruen case. In that case is cited disciplinary me, no, i am sorry. You cited a discriminatory and racial motivations behind gun control policies. Can you tell me how gun control policies like bans on semi automatic rifles and magazine restrictions negatively impacts minorities like members of your organization . Thank you, senator, i will give you a great example. Oftentimes in my organization, as i said we have over 48,000 members, very robust and active, oftentimes i will get an email from a single black mom who is living in a quote unquote challenged area. She says, hey phil, i just bought an ar15, thank you for the training because she now feels she is able to protect herself. If you implement a lot of these proposals that im hearing today, lots and lots of black, single women and black men who are trying to get protection in these tough neighborhoods are not going to be able to do that. That is why they are discriminatory in our long term effect on our community. I am opposed anything along those lines. Can you tell me why bans on socalled assault weapons at Standard Capacity Magazines are not offensive even limiting the individuals constitutional right to selfdefense . The bands do not work, that was proven in the 90s, they do not work. They only prevent my community from having the best tool possible to protect themselves, i will say this, for my family it is the best firearms to protect my wife, my children, my property, it is a very good tool when used by a lawabiding citizen, that is why it is very important for us to have access to that particular weapon. Thank you. Senator hirono . Thank you, mister chairman. Doctor hunter, would you consider the gun violence in our country a National Health issue . Absolutely, it is a public National Health issue. Public health issue, therefore, as a Public Health issue shouldnt we be able to have a lot more information about the incidents of gun violence, and perhaps why black women, for example, would go out and buy guns in this environment . Absolutely. Evidence based Public Health approaches to solving problems is something that is essential. We have seen it with Motor Vehicle accidents. We have seen it and approaching the hiv, aids epidemic. And, Meaningful Solutions to include legislation, as well as public investiture and private companies to make better decisions. As well as informing consumers to make better decisions, comes from transparent data. And, right now, as researchers, we do not have that data to give you the best information possible. To make the laws, comprehensive laws that are going to keep us safe. I agree with you, and as our colleague testified, gun that is the highest cause of death for young people in our country and you would think we would want to better understand the causalities and what we can do. Professor blocker, is that how you pronounce . It bloke. Or below, or sorry. So after ruined, i would say that there is going to be a lot of questions about the various state laws that may fit with the brewing kind of situation. Including by the way, hawaii. I dont know if you are familiar with the fact that the white house some of the strictest gun laws in the country, and probably the lowest gun violence rate in our country. And already after bruen, the Supreme Court has sent a case challenging wise laws back to the ninth circuit for a new ruling. So after brewing, would you expect a lot more challenges to state laws such a house in hawaiis case . And what does that do for states efforts to lower gun violence in their seats. Thank you for the question, senator. Not only what i expected, i think weve already seen it. Cases that have been sent back down for further consideration, in light of historical record, issues which we thought to be resolved by prior Second Amendment cases including the constitutionality of prohibitions like Highland Parks municipal assault weapons ban, i think absolutely will be relittle keep it. My hope, and expectation, is that judges will recognize but then judge Amy Coney Barrett wrote in a dissenting opinion on the side that the circuit which is that history is consistent with common sense. And im generation x understood that dangerous persons could be disarmed, likewise they understood the dangerous and unusual weapons could be prohibited. So i hope that the jurors just prudence confused reflect that. Backed after bruen, do you think that the Supreme Court will sustain any national ban on assault weapons . Do you think that this court will support the states ban on assault weapons, and what about bans on large capacity magazines . Do you think that the Supreme Court will sustain such bans . At either the national or state levels . One of the difficult things about answering the question is the degree to which bruen has introduced uncertainty. But here is how i would think it through. In the lead up to ruin, such laws have fared extremely well in Second Amendment litigation. So there is a judas prudence that already exists. Courts upheld these laws under a variety of different rationale. Something could be that those weapons are dangerous and unusual in there for fall outside of the scope of the Second Amendment. Some courts concluding that the government had its efficient interests and that these laws are sufficiently tailored to the that interest. Here is i think three factors that at least we could consider, diane, predicting the Supreme Courts response. One is of the Supreme Court has again reaffirmed that the dangerous and unusual weapons can be prohibited. An inhaler, and a penny by justice scalia, the court acquitted dangerous and unusual weapons with m16s and the like. And for all the reasons youve heard today, ar15s, and m16s, are different. But they are, similar and the lake may include ar15s as well. There is an argument that these weapons are in common use. The National Shooting Sports Foundation often points to the fact that 20 million of them have been sold in the past few decades. I have no reason to doubt the accuracy of that number. But i would say that 20 million assault weapons in circulation in the past few decades, does not mean 20 million is all weapons owners. That ownership is probably concentrated in a much smaller proportion of gun owners who themselves are a minority of the american population. So we are maybe talking about maybe four or 5 million americans out of 300 plus million. Also, 20 million weapons is only 5 of the civilian weapons stop. Im not sure that constitutes comment or not. When i would really want to know to be able to evaluate the question, but i hope the Supreme Court would ask in light of ruin which strikes us to consider the burdens of selfdefense, is how often are these weapons used in selfdefense. In comparison to their use in gun massacres and Mass Shootings. We heard today, an earlier example, where one was. But when marylands prohibition on this all weapons was challenged, neither the challengers nor forsman could point to a single example of a maryland are using an assault weapon for selfdefense. And if that is the case, and if we take the industry, Justice Thomas for that matter, at their word that these are modern sporting rifles, then i think that they are two types removed from the historical interest in selfdefense. Well, think of this, the Supreme Court is not asking the question of whether not, or how often these kinds of this all weapons, however that we described, them are used in selfdefense. That is not the question they are asking. They are asking whether this dangerous and unusual. When you have 20 million of these kinds of items in our environment, that is not particularly unusual. That is why, this is a Supreme Court that is moving us toward enabling more more people to own all kinds of guns, that we are already awash in guns in our country. Thank you mister chairman. Thank you, senator roman, senator claude. Im sorry, senator blackburn. Thank you, mister chairman. And thank you to each of you. For being here today and, mayor, certainly we extend our condolences and our sympathies to you all in Highland Park, as we do with all of the victims that have faced this type of violence. And i think it is fair to say that we all share the goal of safe communities. And making certain that our children are safe in school. Making certain that we can celebrate when we have a july 4th parade, or community event. And as we work on this issue, and you look at cities like chicago, and philadelphia with very strict gun laws, and then you say how do we get to the crux of this issue . And make certain that people are safe. Mr. Bentley, i want to come to you. I appreciate some of the work that you have done on the issue of Mental Health. And as we look at this pattern among some of the last several Mass Shootings, we see that shooters have previously expressed desire to commit violence. Like the criminal there in the Highland Park. And the police even having responded to a clear and present danger. Call, on that shooter after he had maned death threats. So, mr. Bentley, talk a little bit about how we can enhance Mental Health programs. And awareness of the potential shooters are or stop before they commit some of these kinds of violence. Thank you for that question. And that is the crux of what the Additional Resources, did you research, and to provide Mental Health help particularly as it relates to School Safety. A lot of children are coming out of situations involving trauma, and they need that support, so that they can function. Providing that helping communities. Okay, can i get you to link that to your work with behavioral threat assessment and those Early Warning signs . Yes, maam. That is part of the situation that the center pointed out in that research. That in order to make the we have your threat assessment process work effectively, it has to be coupled with providing a climate, and also, providing a situation where those individuals that werent in the schools, understand what we are looking for and who to report, that information to you in a timely manner. And also, provide those individuals that are crying out with that help that they need. And very often, those individuals are not receiving that help. Particularly, Mental Health. So, what you need is a greater jurisdiction or latitude at the state and local level. So that communities can respond to need. Am i perceiving that right . The work that we are doing with k12 schools involves preparing the schools, those individuals, in the schools, with the tools necessary. Okay. Thank you for that. Mr. Smith, i want to come to you. If i may. There was just a mention about not making sure how many defensive gun uses their where every year. The cdc estimates that there are between 60,002 and a half million defensive gun uses every year. And they also estimate that there are 39,700 gun related deaths every year in the u. S. Youve talked a little bit about the importance of a firearm, possession of a firearm for selfdefense. And i just wanted to give you the opportunity to elaborate on that. Well have a few seconds left. Yes, thank you for the question. I think is critically important, particularly for my community, to have access to protect themselves at a very basic human level. For years and years, as probably everyone knows in this room, we have not had access to firearms like other communities outside of the black community. So my Organization Goes out and literally educates our folks on what again is, and what a gun isnt. How to purchase again, and hold again, how to get changes in going to the range, all of the intimate things that you need to know as a firearm and gun owner. We go over those things with our community. That is why our organization has such a strong following, and our folks are very very change when they go to the range. You just jump into the organization, grab, again and read the range. It doesnt happen that way. All of our sessions are certified, and all of our folks know how to handle began in a very intimate level. So i think that is probably one of the reasons we are doing so well. Well, thank you all so much. I think we all can agree that we want to keep our communities safe, and i think you all so much for your testimony. Thank you mister chairman. Thank you senator blackburn. Let me know for the record that president s of congressman brad snyder, and recognize, who represents Highland Park. Thank you brad for being with us. And let me also know for the record that chicago is not Highland Park. I am proud to represent both communities. There are challenges in both communities, but Highland Park is in a separate county, for those who are not familiar. And it is not the same jurisdiction as the city of chicago. The gun violence problem in chicago is a serious one, but much different than the shooting incident that occurred on july 4th brings us together today. Senator klobuchar. Thank you very much, senator. As a proud graduate of the university of chicago law school, i knew that, and i appreciate you sharing that with the rest of the committee. Doctor hunter, thank you for your service in the marine corps. I am from a state, minnesota, with a strong tradition of hunting and fishing. I have talked with many gun owners, like yourself, who support the Second Amendment. But believe in common sense gun safety measures. Including banning assault weapons. I always look at these proposals and ask myself, with this hurt my uncle dick in his year stand . And could you explain as a gun owner, combat veteran, grew up sport shooting, based on your knowledge of guns, does my uncle dick need an assault weapon in history or stand . We thank you. Thank you very much for this question. One of the signs i will get the microphone to our correctly when i pressed the first time to. And, as someone who has spent time around guns my entire life, in my opinion an ar15 is not an ideal weapon for deer hunting. And so your uncle dick likely will not be using one for deer hunting. Okay, thank you. Part of what makes assault pins so dangerous, as our high rate of fire. As you know, which is also true when hands are actually modified. With conversion devices that turned them into fully automatic weapons. These devices can be purchased from foreign manufacturers for under 20, and can be installed in under a minute. That is why this week i am introducing legislation, with senator gary peters of michigan, to require federal Law Enforcement to coordinate with local law and fierce force meant to crack down on these illegal devices. Do you agree that keeping illegal conversion devices off of our streets will also help save lives . Thank you for the question on that. With the Research Shows us about these weapons is that, when theyre, there is a higher rate of injury and up. And some of the research around the initial federal assault weapons ban did show that there was ways to essentially make copycat weapons we. And i have the same effects as the weapons that were intended to be bad. And so while i havent seen the exact legislation, with the research does show us, is that anything that increases a rate of fire, or increases the deadliness of the weapon, will lead to more injuries and deaths. Thank you. Mayor, thank you for your leadership. You have shown your community and really the nation. Last week, i met with survivors from the horrific shooting in Highland Park. Kids, parents, and i also met with another group from uvalde, where i spoke with a tenyearold girl who is in the classroom next door during the robb elementary shooting. It was her friends. She was in the same grade. But she lost, she had pictures of the friend which she had on the little button that she wore around her neck. It really brought home to me that tragedy didnt and, of course not a classroom. Its an even out of the funerals. It didnt end at the hospital, it continues for the families. There isnt just one victim. Could you talk about the long term impacts that you expect to see in Highland Park and how people are dealing with their grief . We are still a community trying to figure out the next step to healing. We observed a moment of silence a week after. We held a vigil with traumatized Community Members, as well as swat teams, and rooftop sniper teams, because people were scared to gather together. Just before this hearing, i spoke with the husband of a survivor who is still in the icu we. Who, here we are tonight and a half weeks later, is still fighting for preserving her ability to live her life as she has in the past. And we know obviously, about cooper roberts. There is a lot of physical and emotional pain that will all be carrying with us. But for a lot of folks, their lives will never be the same. We are trying to figure out how do we get our children to feel safe going into School Next Month . And, while i wholeheartedly appreciate support, all of the Mental Health efforts in the School Hardening efforts, and the red flag laws, and everything that everyone is trying to do you, at the bottom line we know that moving forward as a community, moving forward as a nation, we need to get combat weapons out of civilian hands. So i appreciate the question. It is still a new journey for all of us. It will be a long journey. But right now, we need these weapons out of civilian hands. Well said, well said. And for my very last question, mister chair, and that was so well said. I think is really important to express the grief, but to turn it into action. And you are there, on the white house lawn with the president gave his remarks after signing into law the bipartisan Safer Communities act. I think so many of us and our colleagues who worked on that, in that were provisions that many of us, in my case the boyfriend loophole coup closing that that i had worked on for ten years. And we finally got it done. Could you explain, as we look at the next steps we must take, how we cannot wait ten years, or another ten years, or another 50 years, to do something when it comes to the threat posed by assault weapons . Highland park was never 309, and now we are already up to 350 Mass Shootings in the last 16 days. That many more have been added to the list. There is so much to be celebrated in the bipartisan Safer Communities act, and we thank you all for your efforts. But my gosh, how much more needs to happen before this obvious action is taken . We know that their Mental Health issues in other countries throughout this world. We know that there are trouble people who are inclined towards violence. What is a differentiating factor . Combat weapons and access to civilians. There is no place for these weapons. I appreciate, and share deep concern about the gun violence issues in the city of chicago, and all of our nations large cities, and frankly elsewhere. But at the end of the day, todays hearing is about how to reduce Mass Shootings. We reduced Mass Shootings, by getting rid of count combat weapons and civilian hands. Well said. Thank you. Senator cruz. The state of illinois, like the state of texas, is dealing with yet another horrific mass murder. Inevitably, when a crime of the sort occurs, a political debate bursts out in washington within an instant. Everyone on this committee, and everyone in this room, wants to prevent the next mass murder. Everyone is horrified at the criminals who would take the lives of children, take the lives of the innocent, and were horrified at the steadily increasing rates of murders. Whether in the city of chicago, and cities across the country, or whether my home state. In the beautiful Elementary School of robb elementary in uvalde texas. The question is, how to do so. How do you stop mass murders . There are two questions. One approaches target the bad guys, target the felons, target the fugitives, target those with serious mental illness. Prosecute them, put them in jail, when they try to legally buy firearms, prosecute them and get them off the street. And at the same time, and hence the security of vulnerable locations in our society. That includes schools, churches, that includes places that these strange murder rumors have been targeted. That is the approach that i believe works. There is a second approach, which the Democrat Members of the committee and support. Which is gun control. Which is targeting lawabiding citizens, and disarming lawabiding citizens. Thats like an approach this week. It is consistently ineffective. If the objective is, stop mass murders, gun control doesnt work. State of illinois has among the strictest gun control laws of anything in the country. Pierre Highland Park as even stricter gun control laws, then the state of illinois. Consistently if you look across the country, the jurisdiction with the strictest gun control laws almost without exception, they have a high crime rates, and the highest murder rates. It is not complicated why. When you disarm abiding citizens, the result is the criminals dont follow the laws. They have the guns, and lawabiding citizens are unable to defend themselves. Now we saw, on sunday another deranged murder, killer fired into a park in greenwood indiana. Within 15 seconds, that killer was shot and killed by 22 year old eli taken. Who thankfully was carrying a concealed handgun. Many more lives wouldve been lost in indiana that day of mr. Dickens had not been there, had not exercises Second Amendment right, and had not saved the lives of the innocent there. That is not an exception, it is not unusual. According to the obama white house, firearms are used defensively to stop a crime in the United States of america between 500,000 and 1 million times every year. Whenever you have a deranged murderer committing a crime, there to, and only two ways i stop. Number one, Law Enforcement stops them, or number two, and individual cyst citizen who is armed stops them. Those are the two ways. If we want to stop crimes, we need to get the criminals off the streets. And we need to increase Law Enforcement. But now, we just had a debate on gun control, and the democrats passed a bill with some republican support. That i think is likely to do nothing to prevent Violent Crime. Its satisfied political agenda. But it is unlikely to stop the next mass murder. I submitted a bill, chris bourassa, which would have prosecuted violent criminals, got about the street. It wouldve created the National Project exile, so that a criminal commits a crime with a gun, he faces federal prosecution and mandatory jail time. So the trigger pullers not there to commit crimes. And cruise fossa would have doubled the number of Police Officers in schools. And it would have devoted an additional ten billion dollars to Mental Health counselors in schools to stop these troubled young boys and men, who so often are the trigger pullers committing these crimes. Unfortunately, the democrats on this committee, and every democrat in the senate, voted against cruz bourassa. Because a proposal that actually is devoting resources to Law Enforcement to prevent law murders, to getting riders off the street, that is not politically advantageous. Their objective is disarm the lawabiding citizens. Indeed, many of the democrats on this committee would happily ban concealed handguns, which would have disarmed Eli Dickinson and would have resulted in a lot more people being murdered. Many out the democrats on this committee would have banned ar15s, which would have these disarmed stephen willard, who stopped the Sutherland Springs mass murderer with his ar15. And save lives. This topic is serious. I commend the witnesses for being here. I wish the members of this committee treated it with the seriousness to actually ask, what stops crime and stops murders. Because the Political Solutions this body has put forward, does not do that. And instead of the political bill that is not going to stop crime, we should past crews bourassa and doubled the number of crops and schools, and stopped murderers from committing their crimes. Senator patio. Thank you, mister chair. And barely a month after the tragedy in uvalde texas, the committee of Highland Park join the ranks of those who have experience the uniquely american epidemic of Mass Shootings. Will the bipartisan Safer Communities act was a critical step in addressing the problem, we must now turn to the issue of unfettered civilian access to military style assault weapons. And the laws that enable them to be obtained. Again, these are weapons designed for the battlefield. Not hunting, not communities. These are saw weapons. Not pistols. The threat posed by these instruments is robbing our communities and safe spaces. People should not have to live in fear of what happened in uvalde, and Highland Park. To all americans whove been impacted by senseless gun violence at two over the years, we owe it to them to make sure doesnt happen. Again the bipartisan sabers communities actually provide that 100 50 million in funding to support Crisis Intervention Services including state red flag laws. And we began to touch on it earlier in the hearing. These laws allow Community Members like families, Police Officers, to petition judges to issue a firearm restraining orders for individuals who they believe pose a threat to themselves or others. Robert crimo exemplified many questionable characteristics that should have made him unfit for gun ownership. For example, Highland Park Police Responded to an incident in 2019, work remotely thats against this family. It is documented. They confiscated 60 knives, a dagger, and a sword, and ultimately filed a report declaring him a clear and present danger. Between april and september 2019, he reportedly attempted suicide, threat to kaylas family, and told police that he had been depressed and was using drugs. Criminal also made social media post glorifying Mass Shootings. The signs were there. Yet despite all of this, it was approved for a license, and purchase several firearms including the semiautomatic rifle he used to carry out his attack on the fourth of july. Now, this is not the only instance in which red flag laws should have been invoked. But work. In the first two years of which illinois red flag law was in effect, only 33 firearm restraining orders were filed with nearly half of them coming from a single suburban county outside of chicago. In 2020, and 2021, judges issued only 150 restraining orders. Less than five per month, statewide. My question, mayor rotering, i want to thank you for your testimony, and fear leadership during this devastating time for your community. Our hearts go out to you. Now that we know that red flag laws save lives, their usefulness is limited to the extent the people actually know about them. Wet suggests you have for promoting awareness, of the purpose and applicability of these laws so that they are more effective . I appreciate the efforts of the bipartisan Safer Communities act, and the willingness to recognize that those closest to our potential shooters are best at assessing the risk. But a burden is placed on them. I agree that there is an opportunity to move forward to stop people from being able to access f of ideas, and access weapons. But at the end of the day, those weapons are particularly these assault weapons, shouldnt be available period. All of these stopgaps are excellent efforts, and we support them. Lets be clear. The differentiating back to between the u. S. In the rest of the world, is assault weapons are available. So, yes. Red flags, we need to promote, we need to show the world that this is available. But we are putting a burden of people who may already be dealing with the difficulties of having a mentally ill Family Member, trying to work through that balance of keeping them safe and keeping themselves safe. It is important to have red flag laws, but we need to get rid of combat weapons. Look, i could not agree more. That is where, as much great work that was done to pass this bipartisan measure, we need to continue the fight to ban assault weapons, to ban large capacity magazines. I could not agree more. The fact that we did take these steps, as skeptical as some people may have been at the beginning, to stop the ban. There is a lot to be said about enhanced background checks, even if it is for buyers under 21. The investments in Mental Health, but the red flag laws that left a complete solution in and of themselves. They will help save lives if implemented more broadly. They have their own lives, it is contingent upon Public Awareness that they exist. Look forward to some followup with you and the other witnesses on how to better implement and raise awareness about this. I would like to point out that police did everything right, they follow the rules, they did everything they had at their disposal to make sure that these weapons were not able to be obtained and yet, here we are. Thank you. Thank you, senator diaz, senator booker. [applause] thank, you mister chairman. Mr. Smith, i actually feel you and a lot of what you have been saying today. People just want to sink into parts of divisiveness. I just want to affirm the fact that we agree on a lot of things, with the exception of the fact that the omegas are better than the alpha. You do not get to return, i get to ask the questions. Lets just be clear, we know the history of African Americans in the entire history of this country being overwhelmingly the victims of horrific violence. From the killing of four girls in a bombing in birmingham, to the killing of Breonna Taylor asleep in her own house. From massacres that have happened in tulsa, oklahoma, including massacres like we saw in a church in south carolina. You would agree about the natural instinct for communities to want to defend themselves. Like the black panthers did in oakland, or, as you are seeing with black women now, correct . Absolutely. So you and i also agree that we need to, with urgency, and this kind of violence in the United States of america. He said that in your testimony. I want to point out some things that i find outrageous, that i think you probably find outrageous as well. They first is that we do not invest in communities, so violence is not happen in the first place. Something you have said already. Finding jobs. Number two, i introduced a bill called break the cycle of violence act that was included in the bipartisan compromise to do Community Violence intervention. From oakland to new york city, there are strategies that are about empowering communities, that actually lower violence. Are you agree with me on that . Absolutely. You and i agree that most of the crimes happening in communities like ours, i am the only senator that lives in a low income black and Brown Community for the last 25 years, and what kills me is that every single shooting, when i was mayor, except for one that we could find, happened with a person who was not qualified to buy a gun, that was able to get that done. You agree, generally, that is the truth, right . Repeat that last part . Most in the crimes of communities like ours are happening because people who do not qualify to buy a gun, criminals, find a way to get a gun, correct . Absolutely. You and i would probably agree that this nation should have universal thorough background checks, correct . Yes, i support background checks. Number two, they traced data. When these crimes happen in communities like mine, they clearance rate on murders is so low but the communities are like, why cant we get the bad people behind but we have laws that prevent people from doing research on trace data, you think that is absurd, yes . I would agree, yes. Thank you very much, you do not have to hesitate so much, i am not trying to trap you. It is okay, it is okay. Here, you and i, i could go down a long list of things that would make all of us safer, that we do not do because friends of mine block us in this body that would make communities like yours and mine a lot safer. Correct . We could find bipartisan things that we could do today. Take the atf, it is the one Law Enforcement organization. We have increased budgets massively. We hand strap the atf and do not allow them to do the job. We do not even allow them to keep computer records of things that are going on. That is absurd, to stop Law Enforcement from doing their job, right . I think where you and i defer, and i see a lot of similarities. Especially haircut, go ahead. Beautiful hair, beautiful hair. I think when it comes down to looking at, lets be clear, i believe that having an ar15 is a value ad. I will get to the air 15, i am just trying to establish the foundation. We have commonalities, but there are differences. Yes, but americans have a lot of agreement on this issue. Even folks that are republican and some democrats from jersey. Let me switch to one thing that i take issue with, you can talk to me later. You said that pulling a trigger, an ar15, pulling a trigger is just one trigger, similar to a pistol or a shock on. At the top of my block a few years ago, shot smith was killed with an Assault Rifle, one of the Police Officer said to me, it was as if, when that bullet hit him, his head exploded. Can you please explain, for the record, the difference between a one shot pistol, versus one of these assault weapons that are used in the war zone . From a functional standpoint there is no difference. Sir you asked your question, let me answer. When you take a shotgun, an ar, or a rifle it is a one trigger system, the sum systems or shotguns and rifles are stronger than the others, absolutely, but the mechanics are the same. I do not disagree with anything that you said. Everything you said is factual. But, dr. Hunter, would you please explain. Thank you, very much, this weapon was chosen by the United States army in vietnam because it was designed to shoot through a standard issue military helmet at 500 yards. It was designed to kill someone wearing a military helmet at 500 yards. What that does to a civilian who is wearing nothing, a baseball cap, is liquefy organs. That is the intent of this round. Yes, one trigger poll but this round, the way it was designed was to do as much damage, as quickly as possible, and to kill enemy soldiers wearing a standard issue and with military helmet. I am out of time and i want to ask the mayor in question, but that is the point, they split hit bodies and they liquefy organs, i have seen too many shootings in my community, they won stand with pistols people are more likely to survive, they ones done with this guns caused unbelievable damage. It takes one poll of a sugar to fire a grenade, one pull of a trigger to fire a pistol, there is a big difference between weapons of war and these weapons. Mayor, i have too much experience with seeing my children die, and god bless our Police Officers in the United States of america. I have not seen heroism, men and women running towards gunfire with no situational awareness. I am not joking, when i say one of my Police Officers i want to hug them because i know that every day they put on that uniform. If i was their Family Member, if i was the husband of a Police Officer you worry about them. What you are officers did, all of the stories i hear, you should be so proud. I am sorry you have to feel that pride. What i do not think folks understand is the true devastation. We mourn the loss of life, that is an calculable. But, when these traumatic events happen to a town, the true cost is so much greater. I have seen businesses closed, i have seen people who are so traumatized that they hear a firework go off on the next fourth of july and dive for cover, could you just, in closing, and then i will return it to the chairperson, try to help people understand that the irregularity of these Mass Shootings in our communities is doing a deeper damage that i think america can even understand, and that it is a matter of time, that we are at the point where mayors all around america know, im sorry, im a former mayor, we know that this is just a matter of time, today we are talking about Highland Park, tomorrow we could be talking about another town, another mosque, another Grocery Store, another church, another school. Could you please just try to capture that one more time . I flew in with the mayor of buffalo, by happenstance, and several of my surrounding region mayors are with me today. We all know it is not f, it is when. The pain of being in a fourth of july parade and getting that call, and thinking, no, not us, not now, not today. I do not know what we will see you next fourth of july, i have people who tell me they will never go to preparade again, i have people who tell me we need to do the biggest parade ever, how do we reclaim normalcy in our community . I do not know. I will be reaching out to the many mayors who called me within an hour of the shooting, who have gone through this painful experience to say to them, how do we move forward . I have been in touch with several of them regularly, i do not know why this needs to be our new normal, i do not know why we need to live this way, and, frankly i need a better explanation to the students who have to go back to the classroom in a month, to be able to say to them do not worry, we have you, when i talk to students in my community they all said to me, yes, we knew this was coming. Not from this particular instance, but every single one of them says we have been waiting for this our whole lives, we have been training for this their whole lives. They knew what to do, they thought it would be at school, heaven help us all, there is no way to live when you are living in that kind of fear, i am so concerned not just for my community, but for our country, this needs to stop. [applause] if there is anything i can do to help your community thank you, senator booker. Thanks to this panel. What happened today in the United States capitol is a demonstration of what we do in america, when we experience tragedies like the tragedy at Highland Park many people just walk away, closely doors and say, i do not want to talk about it, others say i want to talk about this, i want to do something about this, i want to make sure it never happens again, to the residents of Highland Park who came here, and neighbors as well, today, for this hearing, you have taken that extra step. America will notice that. They should. You care, i care, we all care together. That this never happens again. And yet, we know, in reality, it already has and will again. You saw a good illustration of the political aspects of this issue involving guns. Why we can to do so little, once every 30 years we are going to do a gun safety bill . God forbid if that is what happens. The question that we need to ask ourselves, as politicians, and you need to join us in asking, was Highland Park a Tipping Point . Was it a moment when america stopped to reflect on assault weapons . Uvalde, texas, seems to have been. It really motivated a lot of people on both sides of the aisle to finally talk about subjects that were ignored for years. But, when it comes to assault weapons, combat weapons, and what they did in Highland Park, are we ready for this conversation . I do not know the answer to that. I do this for a living. I do not know the answer to that for sure. I will tell you, i do not believe ar15 is just another gone. I think it is a killing machine and we have ample testimony under oath that it is. We saw them by the millions in this country, by the millions. I cannot explain that. I will take exception to one statement made by a senator by the other side of the aisle. He questioned the seriousness, the seriousness of our effort. How could he do that . In light of what you have been through, what america has been through with guns, how could you question any good faith attempt to reduce gun violence in this country . We may draw different conclusions and have different approaches, but for goodness sakes there is nothing more serious than what happened on the 4th of july in Highland Park. I want to remind my colleague when he raises that question, but i think he has gone too far. Your presence today will make a difference with me, and with many. You can tell that from the attendance and participation of the members of this committee. We enacted the most serious Gun Legislation and nearly 30 years with the bipartisan Safer Communities act, i voted for and i will tell you it is not nearly enough. Not enough for the violence that takes place with these mass shooter incidents. Not enough for what goes on in chicago, and other cities like it every single day. And, just for the record chicago is the whipping boy many times in these hearings. They rate of death by population for gun violence in chicago, is not as great as it is in rock furred, nor in my hometown of east st. Louis. Nor is it as in jackson, mississippi. Or in many other communities. It is terrible, every life is precious. But, to say that it is just a chicago phenomenon, it is not. It is an american phenomenon. It is what we are facing, what you are facing in a personal way. I thank you for being here today, for caring enough to come here today, and i thank the members of the panel for their testimony. There may be a followup questions center where, i hope you will respond to them in a timely matter and the meeting up Judiciary Committee stands adjourned. [applause]
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