Carolyn McCarthy

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, last week my colleague the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hostettler) attempted to turn back the clock on gun safety. He failed and the House rejected his amendment. We should defeat this amendment once again. Today he tries again. The bill has changed, but the amendment is the same. Instead of HUD, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hostettler) prevents the Department of Justice from expending any money relating to HUD-Smith & Wesson agreement. Secretary Cuomo and more than 10 of the Nation's mayors successfully negotiated an agreement with the gun manufacturer, Smith & Wesson, in March. This agreement has been embraced by more than 411 communities across the Nation from Los Angeles to Long Island, New York. The agreement will make our communities safer, and we should allow it to continue without Congressional tampering. His amendment will prevent the Department of Justice from expending any funds related to its agreement with Smith & Wesson. Now, this is extremely important. What does the agreement do? This is not gun control. This is called gun safety where a manufacturer is coming before us and doing the right thing to try to make our citizens and our children safer. Guns will have safety locks. Smart technology, this is the guns that can be for people in the house, whether it is one person or two people, that the gun can be fitted to that person and only those two people would be able to use that gun. This is extremely smart. Smith & Wesson has agreed to go forward with this. This is gun safety, not gun control. Guns cannot be marketed to children. What can we even say about that? Guns should not be marketed to children, anyhow. Background checks performed on all sales. We know that when we do background checks and weed out those criminals that are trying to buy their guns, that that can cut down on gun violence in this country. Gun stores must secure guns and ammunition to prevent their theft. What is wrong with that? This way we cannot have someone breaking into a store and stealing guns and ammunition. Law enforcement has a stake in this agreement because it reduces gun violence, reduces gun accidents, and it keeps the guns out of the hands of criminals. And that is, basically, all Smith & Wesson is trying to do with this agreement. Let me say that this also leads us down a very slippery slope. What if a drug manufacturer reaches an agreement with the Department of Veterans' Affairs to provide reasonable priced prescription drugs for our veterans? Are we going to strike this down also? The Congress has a legitimate right to examine this agreement and others. It is shameful to defund the Smith & Wesson agreement without adequate review. We constantly hear the Congress should not meddle in the affairs of our cities and our counties. This amendment is meddling. It says local communities cannot work with the Federal Government to reduce gun violence. This amendment says HUD should not keep its word. It says that it is trivial that 12 children are killed every day by gun violence. It was mentioned by my colleague that the 8-year-old that shot the 6- year-old girl that a child safety lock would not have prevented this. Well, most likely, it probably would not have. But that does not mean that we should not go forward in trying to have gun safety legislation here. What might have happened was, if that person bought the gun illegally, maybe if we had stricter laws as far as background checks go that person would not have been able to buy the gun if he did buy it on the black market. I think that we should honor our agreement with Smith & Wesson. It is good business sense for them; and, hopefully, other gun manufacturers will follow suit with them. I have to say, when a private individual or company sues the Federal Government and settles, then Congress makes sure that the settlement is upheld. The same standard applies to the HUD-Smith & Wesson agreement. Let this agreement stand as it is. Mr. Chairman, guns and children do not mix. The Million Mom March showed us that hundreds of thousands of Americans can unite to stop gun violence in this country. The gun lobby does not control this House. We, the citizens that work here representing the people back home, are the ones that are supposed to fight for the issues that we care so much about. I have to say that every little thing that we try to do to reduce gun violence in this country we seem to be stopped. I think it is time that we all work together. This is gun safety. It is not gun control. Gun control to me is when we try to take away the right of someone owning a gun. We are not doing that. I do not know of any Member that is trying to do that. This is good, common sense gun safety legislation. We defeated this amendment last week. We should again defeat this amendment today.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, again I will say to the chairman, the monies that we have given to our local communities, it has been wonderful, but a lot of times I know my local communities are making choices of where to put the money. What I am saying is certainly all of our larger cities, especially, could use these prosecutors so they can go only strictly after the guns and still have the monies, because we know there is never enough money for anything, and have those community programs still on base. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Weiner).

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I think the problem is right there when we talk about the block grants. I know my local police, certainly on the block grants, I know what they use it for. They are certainly using it for the community policing and they have done a tremendous job as far as working into the community. They also have set up different funds as far as domestic violence and everything else. What I am saying is we should be taking this money and target it just exactly, not a block grant, but target it exactly for prosecution of gun violence.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, obviously, it is always good to have a debate like this. I know that monies are short. I know that, through my community especially, even though they are going for the grants, because we help them write the grants to get the monies for the local communities, I am saying that we can always do a better job. I know the incidence of gangs on Long Island is increasing constantly; and I know if we had more prosecutors, we could work with the local communities and actually get these young people off the streets because they have possession of guns. With that being said, I think that we should be doing more and more, as much as we can do, and get tough on gun crime. This is one part of what a lot of us believe in on enforcing the laws that are out there. And with that, we do need this money.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Lowey-McCarthy-DeLauro- Stabenow amendment. We are hearing constantly that we are not doing enough to certainly enforce the laws that are on the books. I think that what we have been hearing constantly, even from their side of the aisle and actually from everywhere, is that we are not doing it. So what I am saying is that taking this amendment and taking the money and putting it into local. And as far as saying we do not have any statistics, I can tell my colleagues, we can probably talk to any mayor or any local community and they can tell us where they need the help the most as far as local prosecutors go.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to my distinguished colleague, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Neal of Massachusetts). (Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, obviously, I stand against this amendment for many reasons. Unfortunately, we have heard an awful lot, in my opinion, on not understanding exactly what the agreement was. We have heard Members talking about gun control. This is not gun control. It is not even near gun control. What we are talking about is child safety, safety and guns. And our police officers across this Nation certainly have the opportunity to either reject or not accept this agreement when they buy their guns. Let me say something to my colleagues. Across this Nation all of our communities, all of our cities are trying to figure out how to reduce gun violence in this country. Secretary Cuomo, with HUD, has come up with an agreement with Smith & Wesson, which has taken on the responsibility of trying to make safer guns. Not eliminate guns, make safer guns. Safer guns for our police officers and certainly, hopefully, safer guns for our citizens. Yes, they want background checks. Well, I think almost everybody should agree that we do not want to sell guns to criminals, so people should go for background checks. Smith & Wesson has agreed to do this. Guns cannot be marketed to children. Wow, that is some sort of gun control, is it not? Guns cannot be marketed to children. The smart guns again. We talk about using taxpayers' money. My colleague from New York (Mr. Walsh), the chairman, has said no monies have been appropriated for this. But let me tell my colleagues what we spend on health care in this country every single year because of gun injuries in this country. It is over $2 billion a year. If our communities and certainly the housing that we are putting people in can be made safer, that is what we should be doing. This is not a Republican issue. This is not a Democratic issue. As far as I am concerned, this is part of a health care issue. Smith & Wesson, certainly Secretary Cuomo of HUD, have tried to do something to try to make this country safer. I applaud him for this. I wish we could get past this thing of gun control. There is not one person, not one person, in this Congress that is trying to take away the right of someone owning a gun. That is something everyone should start to remember. I am tired of hearing that. I will never try to take away the right of someone owning a gun. That is not what I am here for. But I am certainly trying to keep health care costs down. I am certainly trying to save lives. I think that Smith & Wesson has done the right job, and I say let us support them for a change.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Walsh).

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, may I ask how much time is remaining.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi).

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro).

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Ms. Carson).

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to my good friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank).

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, one thing I will say, this is all voluntary. The coalition has come forward freely on this; and this, in my opinion, will help and save police officers. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey).

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to my colleague, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, officials in the coalition sign a pledge saying they support giving a preference to making purchases from gun manufacturers that have adopted a set of new gun safety and dealer feasibility standards, 411 participants. Cities, counties, States and some police departments have joined the coalition voluntarily. What do they get from HUD in exchange for their membership? Absolutely nothing. Except they know that their police departments are buying from a company that is manufacturing safer guns. They know that this company has worked to prevent gun injuries and keeping gun criminals from getting guns. It simply says if firearms are the same in price and quality, then the locality would give a preference to the manufacturer that makes safer guns. This is a preference, not a straitjacket. It is up to the locality to determine how to implement it. This is really a matter of local control. If Members believe their local officials in Nassau County, New York, or Knox, Indiana, should have the option to promote gun safety through participation in the coalition, which they have, then they will oppose the amendment. This amendment says that communities cannot come together to stop gun violence. I again say this amendment states the status quo is acceptable. The amendment says that it is permissible to ignore the gun violence that has affected our schools and made our communities into killing zones. The Congress should not micromanage how 411 communities around the Nation fight gun violence. The Congress should not be able to mandate how a locality does business. If a city wants to conduct its business in the society in a responsible way, that is the city's business, not the Congress'. We should do the right thing and vote no on the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. I do, Mr. Chairman.

Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in opposition to the amendment. The Hostettler amendment will prevent the Department of Housing and Urban Development from working with the Community for Safer Guns Coalition. The coalition consists of more than 411 State and local governments around the Nation that have signed on to reduce gun violence in their communities. Those governments came together following Smith & Wesson's agreement with HUD in which the manufacturer agreed to make safer guns and to prevent guns from being sold to criminals. Some communities in the coalition include Syracuse, New York; Bloomington, Indiana; Davenport, Iowa; Los Angeles; Oakland; Wilmington; Peoria; Bowling Green; Anderson, South Carolina; Brink, New Jersey, and many others. Mr. Chairman, I include the complete list for the Record: Communities for Safer Guns Coalition alabama Mitchell, Quitman, Mayor, Bessemer. Price, Julian, Mayor, Decatur. Snow, Willie, Mayor, Hobson City. Phillips, Leon, Mayor, Lake View. Daniel, Edward, Mayor, Marion. Dow, Michael, Mayor, Mobile. May, James, Mayor, Uniontown. arkansas Hays, Patrick, Mayor, North Little Rock. arizona Grijalva, Raul, Board of Supervisors Chair, Prima County. Wilcox, Mary Rose, Board of Supervisors, Maricopa County. california Chan, Wilma, President of the Board of Supervisors, Alameda County. Rocha, Mary, Mayor, Antioch. Shoup, Mark, Mayor, Apple Valley. Cruz-Madrid, Christina, Mayor, Azuza. Dean, Shirley, Mayor, Berkeley. Clegg, Legrand, City Attorney, Compton. Wilson, Sharifa, Mayor, East Palo Alto. Morrisson, Gus, Mayor, Fremont. Cooper, Roberta, Mayor, Hayward. Van Arsdale, Lori, Mayor, Hemet. Dorn, Roosevelt, Mayor, Inglewood. Hahn, James, City Attorney, Los Angeles. Brown, Jerry, Mayor, Oakland. Bogaard, Bill, Mayor, Pasadena. Gardner, Garth, Mayor, Pico Rivera. Corbin, Rosemary, Mayor, Richmond. Yee, Jimmie, Mayor, Sacramento. Renne, Louise, City Attorney, San Francisco. Miller, Harriet, Mayor, Santa Barbara. Valles, Judith, Mayor, San Bernadino. Carlson, Brenda, County Supervisor, San Mateo County. Trindle, Greg, LT, San Mateo County Police Chief. Andre, Curt, Mayor, Turlock. Nolan, Robert, Mayor, Upland. Intintoli, A.J., Mayor, Vallejo. colorado Richards, Rachel, Mayor, Aspen. Markalunas, James, Councilman, Aspen Council. Toor, Will, Mayor, Boulder. Parsons, Donald, Mayor, Northglenn. connecticut Ganim, Joseph, Mayor, Bridgeport. Eriquez, Gene, Mayor, Danbury. Larson, Timothy, Mayor, East Hartford. Amento, Carl, Mayor, Hamden. Peters, Michael, Mayor, Hartford. Marinan, Joseph, Mayor, Meriden. Destefano, John, Mayor, New Haven. Malloy, Dannel, Mayor, Stamford. Blumenthal, Richard, Mr., State of Connecticut. Borer, Jr., Richard, Mayor, West Haven. delaware Sills, James, Mayor, Wilmington. district of columbia Williams, Anthony, Mayor, Washington, DC. florida Aungst, Brian, Mayor, Clearwater. Hanson, Carol, Mayor, Boca Raton. Jackson, Robert, Mayor, Largo. Brown, Samuel, Mayor, Lauderdale Lakes. Schwartz, Arlene, Mayor, Margate. Wolland, Frank, Mayor, North Miami. Foster, E., Mayor, Ocala. Miller, Alvin, Mayor, Opa-Lacka. Hickson, Linda, Deputy Clerk, Palm Beach County. Armstrong, Rae, Mayor, Plantation. Reeder, Dottie, Mayor, Seminole. Anthony, Clarence, Mayor, South Bay. Fischer, David, Mayor, St. Petersburg. Feren, Steven, Mayor, Sunrise. Schreiber, Joe, Mayor, Taramac. Daves, Joel, Mayor, West Palm Beach. Penelas, Alexander, Mayor, Miami-Dade County. georgia Campbell, William, Mayor, Atlanta. Albritten, Robert, Mayor, Dawson. Hillard, Patsy, Mayor, East Point. Hightower, Michael, County Commissioner, Fulton County. Gresham, Emma, Mayor Keysville. Ellis, Jack, Mayor, Macon. Adams, Floyd, Mayor, Savannah. Burris, Chuck, Mayor, Stone Mountain. Davis, Willie, Mayor, Vienna. Johnson, BA, Mayor, Wadley. Carter, James, Mayor, Woodland. hawaii Cayetano, Benjamin, Governor, Hawaii. Harris, Jeremy, Mayor, City and County of Honolulu. iowa Crews, Jon, Mayor, Cedar Falls. Clancy, Lee, Mayor, Cedar Rapids. Yerington, Phil, Mayor, Davenport. Rooff, John, Mayor, Waterloo. Koehrsen, Bernal, Chief, Waterloo Police Department. illinois Williams, Carolyn, Mayor, Alorton. Mulder, Arlene, Mayor, Arlington Heights, Village of. Powell, Debra, Mayor, East St. Louis. Bennett, Sillierine, Mayor, Ford Heights. Jackson, Linda, Mayor, Glendale Heights. Kolb, Ernest, Mayor, Oak Lawn. Grieves, Lowell, Mayor, Peoria. Box, Charles, Mayor, Rockford. Schwiebert, Mark, Mayor, Rock Island. Wade, Jr., Casey, Mayor, Sun River Terrace. indiana Selman, Edwin, Mayor, Angola. Ullrich, Richard, Mayor, Aurora. Abplanalp, Bill, Mayor, Batesville. Fernandex, John, Mayor, Bloomington. Glassley, Ron, Mayor, Columbia City. Johnson, Thomas, Mayor, Dunkirk. Pastrick, Robert, Mayor, East Chicago. King, Scott, Mayor, Gary. Dedelow, Duane, Mayor, Hammond. Buzinec, Linda, Mayor, Hobart. McGahen, Larry, Mayor, Kendallville. Dembowski, Nancy, Mayor, Knox. Heath, Dave, Mayor, Lafayette. Sheriff, Lafayette. Huntington, Albert, Mayor, Madison. Brillson, Sheila, Mayor, Michigan City. Beutter, Robert, Mayor, Mishawaka. Canan, Dan, Mayor, Muncie. Overton, Regina, Mayor, New Albany. Redick, Dennis, Mayor, Noblesville. Blair, Richard, Mayor, Peru. Yeazel, James, Mayor, Plymouth. Arihood, Herb, Mayor, Rensselaer. Campbell, Douglas, Mayor, Salem. Margerum, Sonya, Mayor, West Lafayette. Bercik, Robert, Mayor, Whiting.