Pelosi Floor Speech on the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2022

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on the Floor of the House of Representatives in support of H.R. 2377, the Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2022. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for bringing his superior knowledge of our Constitution and the law of the land to bear in this important, important debate For The Children.

Yesterday, as we had the debate on so many other pieces of legislation which passed with bipartisan support, we said it was of the children, by the children and For The Children. Of them because they are suffering. By them because they are testifying in the Congress of the United States, apparently to no avail to some in the Congress, but making an emotional appeal to the facts of their case to the American people. And again all of it, For The Children.

The Protecting Our Kids Act – thank you, Mr. Chairman, for bringing that to the Floor. The legislation that passed yesterday had strong steps to save lives, whether it was raising the age to purchase weapons of war to outlawing bump stocks and high capacity magazines designed for mass murder to cracking down on gun trafficking and ghost guns and – to strengthening safe storage requirements to name just a few.

Today, the House builds on this progress by passing our Federal Extreme Risk Order of – Protections Order Act, another lifesaving measure aimed at preventing, preventing the next tragic shooting before it is too late. Too often – what we know is that those who pose a risk of violence show early warning signs. A menacing message online, a troubled message to a loved one.

Yet in too many communities across the country, concerned family members, friends and law enforcement have no legal pathway to get deadly weapons out of the hands of these troubled individuals. Under the leadership of Congresswoman Lucy McBath, the House will pass an empowering family – a bill empowering family members and law enforcement to seek a federal court order to temporarily remove access to a gun from individuals who pose a threat to themselves and to others.

And thanks to the leadership of Congressman Salud Carbajal, this legislation will include incentives to encourage more states to adopt extreme risk protection order laws of their own. The incentives exist in many states but not all. Doing so will not only protect from mass shootings but also from the quiet daily massacre by suicide and gun crimes. These so-called ‘red flag laws' – by some – are saving lives in the nineteen states and – as was mentioned – the District of Columbia where they have been enacted. The statistics show that. And the American people are overwhelmingly for this life-saving measure. Recent polling show eight in ten Americans support it.

Madam Speaker, as you know – you have experienced in your state – gun violence in our nation has reached a fever pitch in recent weeks. People keep saying again and again and again we have gun violence. I would say it's not again and again and again. It's always. It's not one after another. It's ongoing. Whether it's mass murders that are high profile or every night in cities across – places across our country.

Sadly, too many Members think, in the wake of gun violence, a moment of silence is sufficient, a moment of silence. As Mr. Higgins said following the Buffalo massacre, we have a moment of silence and then we must have action. And then we must have action. Today, all Members have a chance to take action, to vote for another strong step giving our communities a chance to prevent the next massacre.

Indeed, as you know – and indeed it might not even be a massacre, it could be a family tragedy. So it's personal as well as community protection. Indeed, if you knew where – if you knew where and when the next gun incident would be, how could you oppose having the tools to possibly stop it? If you knew that children could possibly be exposed because of the action of someone practically a child themselves, still a teenager, having access to a weapon of war, why wouldn't you want to take action to stop it? I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in a strong bipartisan aye vote for this legislation.

In states across the country, this is not partisan at all. Let's hope that it would not be in the House of Representatives. At the same time, we remain very, very prayerful and hopeful that the Senate will soon reach bipartisan agreement so that we'll move a step closer to freeing our children from the horrors of gun violence once and for all. Our children, whether it's violence to them or violence to their parents and family members. For The Children, of the children, by the children. That's our mission. I urge an aye vote and yield back the balance of my time. Thank you.