MEDIA CONTACT:
STEVEN ENGELHARDT (314) 504-4029
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: WEDNESDAY 1.12.11

FLOOR SPEECH BY
CONGRESSMAN WM. LACY CLAY (D) MISSOURI
IN SUPPORT OF BIPARTISAN RESOLUTION REGARDING THE TRAGIC SHOOTING OF CONGRESSWOMAN GABRIELLE GIFFORDS AND OTHER CITIZENS IN TUCSON, AZ
WEDNESDAY, 1.12.11

Note: The following is a first-person statement
delivered by Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri,
as submitted to the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives.

"Madame Speaker,

I rise in support of this bipartisan resolution,

And to offer my thoughts and prayers for the swift healing and complete recovery of my good friend and colleague, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords;

The dedicated members of her staff who were also wounded;

And all of the other innocent victims of this unconscionable act of violence.

I also want to express my sincere sympathies to the families of:

U.S. District Judge John Roll,

Gabe Zimmerman…a valued member of our congressional family;

Dorwin Stoddard,

Dorothy Morris,

Phyllis Schneck,

And most especially,

Christina Green,
A remarkable nine-year old child who had just won her first election to the student council,

and wanted to speak to her congresswoman about a career in public service.
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Mr. Speaker, as you so aptly noted just moments after this tragedy occurred,

“An attack on one who serves, is an attack on all who serve.”

And I would venture to say that all of us who have the high honor of serving in this body…the people’s house,

Have searched our souls to try to understand the nature of this attack on the very core of our democracy.

Like most of us, Congresswoman Giffords knows that there is simply no substitute for spending time with your constituents.

The plain truth is that you cannot effectively represent your community in Congress…

Unless you make time to interact with the people who hired you for this job.

And as for me, I will continue to do that.

Because I truly believe that even in the face of this kind of mindless violence,

Constituents have a right to question their members of congress directly.

And we who have been entrusted with the honor of public service…must never allow fear or threats to undermine that fundamental principle.
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Accordingly, I will be lending my strong personal support to pending legislation offered by my colleague from New York, Mrs. McCarthy…to ban the importation, manufacture or sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines for semi-automatic handguns.

We have a responsibility to outlaw this clear danger to the American people.
===
Finally Mr. Speaker, let me close with an appeal to all of my colleagues,

To the political pundits on both the left and the right,

And to all media outlets,

To remember that hateful words often lead to hateful deeds.

We must recall that we are Americans first.

And our American family depends on maintaining our national sense of decency and civility in all that we do and say.

Thank you and I yield back the balance of my time."

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