The 25 hour sit-in on the House floor ended Thursday afternoon and hosted a variety of passionate speeches from House and Senate Democrats. Among the speakers was Congressman David Price of North Carolina, who on Wednesday night, demanded “common-sense gun reforms.”
“This is an extraordinary thing that’s happened here on the floor of the House today, but extraordinary situations call for extraordinary measures,” Price said. “Arguably, we should have done this long ago. But something has changed.”
That something, he said, was the loss of “49 innocent individuals who were taken from us all too soon. And we’re here in determination to prevent future massacres.”
House Democrats were demanding a vote on measures to expand background checks and block gun purchases by people on the FBI’s terror watch list. They were demanding that Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan keep the House in session during its planned week-long recess next week to debate and vote on gun legislation.
“What we haven’t heard much of from our Republican friends is reasonable solutions to the threats we receive as a nation from those who are intent on manipulating loopholes in our law to kill innocent Americans.”
Price supports an amendment to the Homeland Security Appropriations bill that would prevent gun sales to suspected terrorists, much like the shooter in Orlando who was questioned twice by the FBI. He said the actions of the “deranged and self-proclaimed ISIS sympathizer” should be cause for action.
“He legally had gotten his hands on a weapon that has no place outside the battlefield. It shouldn’t certainly be in the hands of a potential terrorist.”
Price reassured the crowd that new gun control legislation would not infringe on the nation’s Second Amendment rights.
“This amendment is not threatened by anything we’ve proposed no matter how you interpret the Second Amendment… There’s nothing in the Second Amendment that says we can’t protect our communities or that we can’t keep weapons out of the hands of those who’ve vowed to destroy us.”
Price then returned his focus to the victims of the Orlando shooting, particularly two from North Carolina. He mentioned Shane Tomlinson, an East Carolina University graduate, and Kevin Crosby, a resident of Statesville, who both lost their lives in the shooting.
Price ended his speech by reading the tragic text messages from Orlando victim, Eddie Justice. Justice texted his mother during the shooting, writing, “Mommy I love you,” and “He’s coming. I’m gonna die.”
“How can anybody hear those texts from a terrified son and still not be compelled to act?” Price said. “How can we continue to harden our hearts? Please, let’s move these bills.”
Watch Price’s speech here:
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines