but we did, and he is resumed. the listening post dissects the media. on the al jazeera, we tower the untold story, lou, we speak when others don't. ah, we cover all sides. no matter where it takes us. a police we a fan of sir guy. and power in pasha. we tell your stories. we are your voice, your news, your net al jazeera. ah, parents of victims and survivors of recent must shootings in the us to call on congress urgent need to address gun violence. ah,

hello, i money inside this vouchers, their life and i was coming up tacky office to host another round of talks between russia and ukraine, while efforts are underway to lift the blockade on gray. next falls. see don's military leaders and political parties hold 1st direct discussions since the middle she takeover in october as the you and you can watch over past vote on a draft resolution on iran. the government switches off to surveillance cameras at one of its facilities. ah, we begin in the u. s. where politicians are facing renewed prussia to tighten gun control laws at congress, survivors and parents, victims and recent moss shootings are about to begin an emotional day of testimony . and at the white house act, matthew mcconaughey, he made

a desperate plea to end gun violence. patty calhane reports from washington. familiar, but her rous exceeds school children run to safety and you've all the texas as a gunman, murdered 19 of their classmates and 2 of their teachers inside. after this gun control advocates at this time, it would be different after matthew connie, he came to washington to meet with lawmakers, the president, and then the press to try and make sure that is true, made a war green high top converse with heart, she had hand drawn on the right toe because they represented her love of nature. camilla's got these shoes, can you show the issues or these every day bring converse with a heart on the right to be the same green converse on her feet. that turned out to be the only clear evidence that could identify her at the shooting that he was born. and you've all day. and he spent the last

week there talking to families of the victims, bringing their stories to washington and pleading for change mechanics, calling for raising the legal age where you can buy an assault weapon from 18 to 21 . you want to increase background checks, new laws that make it easier to take guns away from people. considered unstable. there is a bipartisan group of senators working on proposed legislation, but it is not expected to go anywhere close to as far as that the house is taking legislation to do those things. but 1st, they will hear on wednesday from a little girl who was here in the classroom. she took blood from her murdered friend and spread it all over herself. in order to play dead, it would likely be shocking. hard to listen to testimony from a traumatized child. another attempt to make sure this time it actually is different. particle haine al jazeera washington. let's go to my calories following

the hearings from capitol hill. he joins me now live and we are expecting those hearings to begin any minute. as soon as they do begin, we will go to them. and patsy was referring to mia carrillo. she was a 4th grade student at ward elementary school in val day. who is to give evidence, it's likely to be very powerful emotional stuff. who else are we likely to hear from today? allan? yes indeed, we will hear from that 11 year old in the course of the proceedings, but there are also the parents of victims who will be addressing the committee relatives as well. so this is a been in which the spotlight is being cost on the impact of such met shootings. this is respect to the time that you've all the but i can tell you we're expecting at any minute the hearing to start, but there is a long q outside of friends and relatives,

the members of the public filtering in through the door to address these particular hearings, while this is going on as well, there's much debates about legislation within congress in the house is likely to be legislation passed within the next one or 2 days. that includes many of the measures that president biden had suggested in an address to the nation last week. increasing the age of a ship from 18 to 21. doing away with the sold weapons, with high capacity magazines that is likely to pass in the house. but it's very unlikely to go through a center where they are 49 members. and you need 11 republican senators to join in that particular legislation. the senate itself is discussing measures far more watered down than what's being talked about in the house. this is happening behind closed doors is an attempt to hammer out agreements between republicans and democrats to get some form of legislation passed. and all politicians are aware as

fates of recent polls, which indicate very strongly that the vast majority of americans are demanding meaningful gun legislation. figures in some polls up to as much as 65 percent of americans are demanding, strengthen gun legislation. so this is rapidly becoming in terms a to, in addition to the massive cost to human life. it's also becoming a political issue. remembering that mid term elections are coming up in november and president binding himself a speaking to the american people, has said that if the politicians do not agree to meaningful gun legislation, then they must punish them at the polls in the term. so it's a political issue on going here, but to day, within the next hour or so, we will be hearing the testimony of those who suffered from just one of the multitude of mess, shootings that occur in the united states. okay, mike,

i believe that this a congressional hearing committee hearing is about to starts and let's have a quick listen and let's see what is happening now order. it may identify that in several ways, you may use the chat function to send a request. you may send an email to the majority staff, or you may unmute your mike to seek recognition. we will begin the hearing in just a moment when they tell us they are ready to begin the live stream. the committee will come to order. without objection, the chair is authorized to declare recess of the committee at any time. i now recognized myself for an opening statement. to day, we will examine the destruction and heartbreak that gun violence is causing across our country. i want to express my deep gratitude to each of our witnesses for

being here today. i am particularly grateful to our witnesses who will be discussing the loss of their loved ones and their personal experiences from recent math shootings and who vol day, texas, and buffalo, new york. despite their pain, these witnesses expressed their strong desire to share their stories with this committee and the public. i know that i speak for every member of this committee, when i say that we are inspired by your bravery for a parent, there is no greater pain than the loss of a child, but across the country since this gun violence is claiming the lives of our children and loved ones and places where they should be safe. our schools are supermarkets, even our churches and our synagogues, gun violence is the leading cause of death for children and our country.

as a society, we are failing our children, and we are failing each other. this out of control gun violence is a uniquely american tragedy. as you can see in this chart, in 2019th, united states suffered 17 times more gun death than the next highest g 7 country. we stand alone in mass shootings. other countries pass sensible gun safety laws and protect their children and no other country comes close to the number of school shootings we have between 20092018. the u. s. had 288288 school shootings. all other g 7 countries combined had just 5

some of my colleagues on cross the i'll have blame the violence on mental illness. they have blamed violet video games. they have blamed family values. they have even blamed open doors. they have blamed every thing, but guns but we know the united states does not have a monopoly on mental illness, video games, or any other excuse. what america does have is widespread access to guns. that includes assault weapons which were designed to kill as many enemy soldiers on the battlefield as possible as quickly as possible. yet in many states, these weapons of war can be purchased by an 18 year old, just by walking into

a store. assault weapons were used in the recent massacres in buffalo, texas, and tulsa, just as they were in parkland, new town, san bernardino, orlando, las vegas and so many other mass shootings. these weapons have no place in our communities. no civilian needs, an assault rifle, and the 2nd amendment does not protect the right to own a weapon of war. it's time that we banned assault rifles from our streets, from our communities, from our homes. but if we are going to truly address the gun crisis, we need to be honest about why our country has failed to act sooner. the truth is, the gun industry is making billions of dollars, selling the weapons that are killing our children. and they are fighting tooth and

nail to keep doing it. that is why i have launched an investigation into 5 leading gun manufacturers that sell assault weapons used in mass shootings. we need to know why these communities are marketing, military weapons to civilians and how much they are profiting from the death of our children. of course, mass shootings are just one part of this crisis. we can't forget that gun violence is a steady drumbeat. in so many of our towns and cities, especially in marginalized communities, black men make up more than half of all gun victims in the united states. despite making up less than 6 percent of the population, latinos are twice as likely to be killed by a gun. and 4 times as likely to be wounded by a gun. as white americans, we need transparency into how guns are reaching the hands of criminals. which is

why this committee has been working to identify the gun dealers that are selling the most guns used in crimes, including across state lines. to day the house is voting to pass common sense gun safety legislation, which is a crucial 1st step. and addressing this crisis, i am particularly grateful. this bill will include key provisions similar to a bipartisan bill. i 1st introduced more than 10 years ago with a strong support of former chairman, elijah cummins. i bill will make gun trafficking, a federal felony and strength, and penalties for straw purchasers, which will help stop the flow of guns into the hands of criminals. my goal is for today's hearing, is simple. i am asking every member of this committee to listen with an open heart to the brave witnesses who have come forward to tell their stories about how gun

violence has impacted their lives. are witnesses to day have endured pain and loss, yet they are displayed incredible courage. by coming here to ask us to do our jobs, let us hear their voices. let us honor their courage. let us find the same courage to pass common sense laws to protect our children. i now recognized the distinguished ranking member mister, calmer, for an opening statement. thank you chairwoman maloney and all of our hearts go out to the victims in the families and you've all the texas and buffalo, new york to those who are testifying before us to day. there are no words to describe the horror you have faced in the deep anguish. you feel the american people grieve with you as elected representatives in congress. it's our obligation to work to ensure that these violent crimes and tragedies never happen again.

americans of all background should be empowered to defend themselves against rising violence. the increased violence we have witnessed since the summer of 2020 is unacceptable murders and aggravated assault or alo. this is a trend. we must reverse. we have recently witnessed several high profile, senseless acts of murder and mayhem that have impacted all americans, including tragically our defenseless and innocent school children. we must respond to those hideous acts and provide justice for the families. at the same time, we recognize that valence occurs in many of our communities on a daily basis, impacting americans across the united states. from every background. too often tragedies are politicized for partisan gang. and we have seen many seek to leverage these crimes and their victims to push for lack radical left wing policies or to

beatrice their campaigns to get elected. instead of rushing to score political points at the expense of our justice system working properly, we must learn from these senseless acts of violence and take concrete action to reduce violence in the future. we owe it to the families of the victims. they deserve justice, and we owe it to the american people. we must and can prevent similar tragedies. we all want to live in a country where we can achieve our american dream without the threat of violence in our communities. we must work together to deliver sensible solutions to secure our schools, protect our most vulnerable among us, and bring to justice those responsible for these heinous crimes. our local officials cannot be fund our police, and our prosecutors cannot be soft on crime. i believe that we must carefully

consider the security posture of vulnerable targets, sought out by evil people. we must ensure that every american has a safe environment in which to live their lives in peace. and that requires thinking creatively about solutions to harden our infrastructure in force, our existing laws and work to foster a culture that values conflict resolution and dialogue over violence. i strongly believe that there's important place for law abiding gun owners to serve in protecting themselves, their families, and their communities from violence. our 2nd amendment is an important tool in securing our individual rights to self defense. knee jerk reactions to impose gun control policies that seek to curtail our constitutional right to bear arms are not the answer. gun ownership is on the rise in america. people want to protect

themselves and their families. we should command all law abiding gun owners who safely use store and carry those firearms, not vilified them for blatantly political purposes. also believe we must continue to empower a law enforcement professionals to serve and protect our communities honorably. as i said before, defun, the police and soft on crime prosecution policies have been a failure across the board. efforts to divert violent criminals out of the criminal justice system have failed, leading to the victimization of the very communities those policies were promised to help. val at criminals should be in jail not back on the streets to re offend and tear us. we must re commit ourselves to pursuing justice in keeping valid criminals off our street. thank you chairman maloney and i you back gentlemen, i yield back. i want to clarify that i support the 2nd amendment. i support law abiding gone,

gone outers. i don't support lax gun laws that allow guns to get into the hands of criminals and unstable people. i now recognize that jen, lady from california miss porter for an opening statement. i represent a community in morning, less than one month ago in laguna woods. a gunman, lock the doors to the geneva presbyterian church, and opened fire on my communities, tighten it, taiwanese congregation. the shooting was an undeniable tragedy, but under different circumstances, it could have been an unimaginable massacre. unlike the shooters involved in buffalo, the shooter in laguna woods did not carry an assault rifle equipped with high capacity magazines. he was armed with 9 millimeter, he and guns that forced him to reload. that difference gave a hero doctor john cheng, a chance to stop the carnage. he sacrificed his life to stop the shooter and his

bar. but bravery was remarkable. but we cannot depend on a hero's bravery. to save lives. law enforcement has determined that the gunman was ready to kill every person in the church. had he been armed with a military style, a salt rough, a rifle? he may have done so there is no telling how many more lives would have been lost. shootings involving assault weapons are 6 times as deadly as shootings involving hand guns. and when assault weapons are equipped with high capacity magazines, or bumps stacks, the death toll raises even further. california has banned these weapons for years. our laws have saved lives, including members of geneva, presbyterian church. congress must follow californian's lead a yield back. lady yields back, i now recognize a gentleman from louisiana mister higgins for an opening statement. though your modem church should sobered day in congress. as we reflect upon the challenges our

notion furnishes in 2005 as a young cup. i was dispatched to report to a man down in the street thought of the citizens crime ridden and dangerous. i found a victim teenager, anna, i hailed the mortal wound. the back of his head whispered prayer to his ear. as his lie flowed from his body, he died there in my arms on the street. he was killed by an axe handle. i am prayerful for america and prayerful for healing. and i'm prayerful for discernment amongst

his body and my colleagues as a law enforcement officer. i know what it means to swear an oath, to protect and serve my community and my nation, and the importance of bring and justice to the families of those who suffer at the hands of evil. and it is essential that the fundamental freedoms 1st amendment, 2nd amendment, 4th amendment, always protected and preserved by this body. i was sworn as a man of sworn o dot poll the constitution of the united states. and i will never back down from defending that constitution, including the rights of law abiding americans to keep and bear arms. madam chair, a thank you for this sharon to day and i yield the gentleman yield. now we will introduce our witnesses. i'd like to turn it over to the gentleman from new york.

mister higgins to introduce our 1st witness. without objection, mister higgins is authorized to participate in today's hearing. he represents buffalo and you are now recognized. mr. higgins. thank you, madam chair and ranking member, the hon. members of the oversight reform committee, i am the greek tragic poet. escal is says that we suffer our way to wisdom says we suffer our way to wisdom to live is to suffer, to endure the suffering is to give meaning to the suffering. we have a problem in this country unless we learn from the tragic events of the last 3 weeks. who are we? as a people in this brave group of panelists from 2 cities that were devastated, a destruction beyond human comprehension. we have to find

a way to deal with this in buffalo. the shooting started at 230 in the afternoon and was concluded in 2 minutes and 3 seconds. one shooter of semi automatic weapon. 13 people shot 10 dead, one shooter. if you look for a common den amped denominator in all of these, it's typically some one that should never have had a gun with a high capacity weapon to kill as many as people, as many people as quickly as possible. the data everhart is here. she is a friend and a proud citizen of the city of buffalo. soneta is with us to day. as the mother of a buffalo mash shooting survivor,

xavier goodman. zire was working at the tops friendly market that was targeted by a white supremacist, racist de range gunman. there is also a colleague of govern government. she is director of diversity and inclusion for my friend and colleague, new york state senator tim kennedy said that his story is both tragic and magic. and with that it gives me great honor to present to the committee sonata ever. her thank you and after miss everhart, we will hear from dr. roy guerrero, who is a pediatrician and new val day, texas. ah. then we will hear from mia stereo, who is a 4th grader at rob elementary school in texas. mia will be sharing her experience in a pre recorded video. her father miguel is with us in the room today and will be making

brief remarks after his daughter's a video. then he will excuse himself. next we will hear from felix and kimberly rubio, who are the parents of lexi rubio, who tragically lost her life in the texas shooting. i now recognize the gentleman from georgia, mister heiss to introduce our last witness on this panel. thank you madam chair. it's my honor to recognize lucretia hughes. she is a part of a my constituency, an incredibly bright light in our tense district. and she has an extremely compelling story. i just wanted to publicly recognize lucretia want to thank you for being here to day and owe us a hard to share the story that you come to us with. but we are grateful that you're

here, and i just, i, madam chair, i want to say thank you for just these few seconds to recognize lucretia hughes and welcome her. you are you? thank you. the witnesses will be on muted, so we can swear the men. please raise your right hands. do you swear or affirm that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. so help you god. and you let the record show that the witnesses answered in the affirmative. thank you, and without objection, your written statements will be made part of the record. with that miss everhart, you are now recognized for your testimony. please testify, ms. everhart. thank you, chairwoman. ah, they are my sy goodman, my son, or as i like to call him. the kid was shot and injured by a domestic terrorist on saturday may 14th 2022 at the tops grocery store where he

was an employee in a historically black community on jefferson avenue in buffalo, new york, zaire. the kid is now 21 year old man. he's pure joy, he's everything that is good in his world. and as i say here before you today, i can hear my son telling me to stop being extra and get to the point. i was going to tell you all a bunch of fluffy, funny stories about i hear i'm, but i have, i have a message. so i get to the point as director of diversity and inclusion with near state senator some kennedy's office, stories of gun violence and racism are all too familiar. but now these stories are your stories. these problems literally knocked on my front door. these are issues that as a country we do not like to openly discuss domestic terrorism exists in this country

. for 3 reasons. america is inherently violet. this is who we are as a nation. the very existence of this country was founded on violence, hate, and racism. with the near annihilation of my native brothers and sisters, my ancestors brought to america to the slave trade were the 1st current sea of america. let me say that again for the people in the back my ancestors, the 1st currency of america were stripped of their heritage and culture separated from their families, bargained for auction block, sold, be in, raped, and lynched. yet i continuously hear after every mast shooting that this is not who we are as americans and as a nation. here, me clearly. this is exactly who we are. education, majority of what i have learned about african american history. i did not learn until i went to college and i had to choose those classes. why is that? why is african american history not a part of american history?

african americans built this country from the ground up. my ancestors blood is embedded in soil. we have to change the curriculum in schools across the country so that we may adequately educate our children. reading about history is crucial to the future of this country, learning about other cultures, ethnicities, and religions in schools should not be something that is up for debate. we cannot continue to whitewash education and creating generations of children to believe that one race of people are better than the other. our differences should make us curious, not angry. at the end of the day, i bleed you bleed, we are all human that awful day that will now be a part of the history books. hopefully let us not forget to add that horrific day to the curriculum that we teach, our children guns the 18 year old terrorists who stormed into my community armed.