The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church (Executive Calendar)” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S2904-S2905 on May 16, 2019.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church
Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, this Sunday, I have the honor of joining some of the most courageous, faithful, and inspiring Texans whom I ever met for the grand opening and dedication of their new church.
These men and women are part of the congregation at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs. For the vast majority of its 100-year history, this small church was adored by members of the community as a place of worship, but it didn't get much attention on the national stage. On November 5, 2017, all of that changed when a deranged shooter opened fire on their Sunday service, killing 26 parishioners--adults, teenagers, children, and an unborn baby. The church became the site of the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history.
This violent attack rocked the entire small, tight-knit town to its core. Every home, every family, and every person felt the impact of the shooter's actions, but what emerged wasn't more of the hatred and anger displayed by the shooter. Instead, Sutherland Springs became a beacon of love and hope. The day of the attack I spoke with Wilson County Sheriff Joe Tackitt and offered my condolences and complete support. Sheriff Tackitt told me about the day's events and said the bloody scene inside the First Baptist Church was horrific, but the response to the tragedy was instantaneous. First responders from the surrounding area, as well as State and Federal law enforcement officials, inundated Sutherland Springs with resources and help.
In the days and weeks following the attack, the support continued. Folks from across the country made their way to this small town outside of San Antonio to pay their respects, leaving flowers outside the church, singing songs of worship, and extending a caring hand to those grieving.
I joined the congregation 1 week after the shooting for their Sunday service, and it was an emotional experience, to be sure. I was there to offer what I could in terms of support and hope to this grieving community, but what happened was just the opposite. They were the ones giving me inspiration.
That day, as the associate pastor pointed out, the church smashed attendance records. It was remarkable to see not only the church community but also complete strangers embracing one another, offering a shoulder to cry on or a hand to hold.
There was perhaps no more moving occurrence than Pastor Frank Pomeroy. He and his wife lost their teenage daughter in the shooting.
One week after that occurred, he opened that service saying: ``We have the freedom to choose, and rather than choose darkness like the young man did that day, we choose the light.''
Coming from a man who lost 26 beloved members of his congregation, including his own daughter, those words are tough to get your brain around. When he was going through what I have no doubt was the toughest moment of his life, Pastor Pomeroy was comforting those of us in the audience and reminding us not to let evil triumph.
As more details about the shooter emerged, that message of hope was even more important to recall. We learned that the shooter had a long history of violence, and a number of red flags had been raised--school suspensions, comments about wanting to kill his superiors, animal abuse, and violence toward those closest to him. He had choked his wife, fractured his stepson's skull, and done time in military prison.
Under existing Federal laws, the shooter was prohibited from ever purchasing or possessing a firearm. It was illegal. So how did he get his hands on this weapon that he used to take 26 innocent lives?
Well, in short, it was because of a broken system. He was able to purchase four firearms because information about his criminal history was never uploaded into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, also known as NICS.
In the wake of the tragedy, you always wonder, how did this happen and, more importantly, what can we possibly do to prevent something like this from happening again? Well, in this case, one answer was pretty clear. We have to fix the National Criminal Instant Background Check System so gun purchasers can't lie and buy firearms that they are already legally disqualified from purchasing or possessing.
Eleven days after the shooting, it became clear to me how this system had broken down. The Air Force had simply failed to upload this information into the background checks system so it wasn't there when this shooter bought those guns. In response, I introduced the Fix NICS Act to reform the system and ensure that all Federal agencies accurately and correctly upload these required conviction records. This legislation also encourages States and local jurisdictions, to the extent possible under the Constitution, to do exactly the same. We can't make them do it, but we can encourage them to do it and facilitate their doing so.
It has been estimated that some 7 million records, including at least 25 percent of felony convictions and a large number of convictions for misdemeanor domestic violence, are absent from NICS--7 million records, including 25 percent of felony convictions, and a large number of convictions for domestic violence were absent from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
How in the world can we expect that system to work to protect us and our communities if, in fact, the required information is not being uploaded? Each missing record represents a unique opportunity for someone like the shooter at Sutherland Springs to slip through the cracks. So we knew what we had to do to change that.
I worked with my colleagues in the Senate, on a bipartisan basis, and encouraged them to support the Fix NICS Act. I was heartened and encouraged by the bipartisan support we got. This legislation passed with 77 Members of the Senate serving as cosponsors. When the President signed this bill into law, it marked a major achievement and step forward and delivered on the promise I made to myself following Pastor Pomeroy's advice: focus on the light and not on the darkness.
I am grateful for the support of my colleagues who cosponsored and voted for this legislation, which has made our background check system stronger. It actually made it so it will work the way Congress originally intended when it created the National Instant Criminal Background Check System maintained by the FBI.
I have and will continue to work with the officials at the Department of Justice to ensure that this law is fully implemented as soon as possible.
I look forward to joining my friends at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs this week to honor those they lost and to celebrate the grand opening of their new worship center and education building.
Today I once again extend my deepest condolences to the families of those lost and to the community that continues to grieve. They have my full support, and I vow to do everything in my power to prevent this type of senseless violence from becoming the norm. No family, no congregation, no community should ever lose a loved one because of an entirely preventable crime. I hope because of this legislation, they never will.
I will just say, in conclusion on this topic, what consolation, what comfort can you give to someone grieving the loss of a loved one? I can only think of one thing; that as a result of their loss and their sacrifice, some good will come out of it. I think the only way to reconcile your grief and your loss is knowing that out of your loss, something good will come out of it. I can genuinely say that as a result of the loss of these 26 parishioners at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, we will save lives in the future. There will be lives saved and lives lived as a result of their sacrifice and what we have done working together to try to prevent those types of acts of senseless, preventable violence from occurring in the future.
