State of Gun Violence in the Virgin Islands

Floor Speech

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Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, every day, 100 Americans are killed with guns and hundreds more are shot and injured. That is 36,500 people a year who lose their lives to gun violence. The effects extend far beyond those casualties and shape the lives of millions of Americans who witness it, know someone who was shot, or live in fear of the next shooting. This senseless loss of life is all too common in the United States and its territories.

As of August 26, we have lost 26 lives to gun violence in the Virgin Islands. In 2018, the United Nations released a report naming the territory as the new murder capital in the Caribbean, with 52.64 murders per 100,000 people.

For the families, friends, and communities of victims in the Virgin Islands, this pain will never pass, just as it will not pass for the loved ones of thousands of other people who have died from gun violence in the U.S.

Time for action is overdue. Earlier this year, the House passed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019, requiring checks for all gun purchases. We need to push for universal background checks, assistance and increasing funds to border control for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to stop guns coming into the territories, and enhanced treatment and resources for mental health.

I look forward to working with all to come up with some form of sensible gun law legislation.

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