WASHINGTON, DC – Today, in response to yesterday's shootings in Houston, Savannah, and San Bernardino, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to express outrage over Speaker of the House Paul Ryan's refusal to allow Congress to vote on common sense, bipartisan proposals to curb gun violence. Earlier this week, Congressman Peters delivered a letter to Speaker Ryan signed by San Diegans, urging him to let Congress vote to close loopholes in our background check system. The full transcript of his remarks:

“Thank you Mr. Speaker.

Over a month ago, I stood in this Chamber and delivered a message from San Diegans calling on Congress to expand background checks for gun purchases.

Since then congress has done nothing.

Last week, a gunman attacked a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs.

What did Congress do? Nothing.

Yesterday, there were deadly shootings in Houston, Savannah, and San Bernardino, where 17 people were killed at a social service center.

And today here we stand, in the only building in the nation that could do something to curb this awful violence, and we cannot even get the Speaker of this House to let Congress vote -- to let us act -- on one of the several proposed laws that many of my colleagues and I support. 

Thoughts and prayers are not enough. Moments of silence are not enough.

Maybe, Mr. Speaker, instead of a moment of silence, the American people will get a moment of action.

A moment of action that might keep their community from being next.

If we want to honor these victims and their families, then we should do our jobs.

And we should act now.

Thank you Mr. Speaker. I yield back.”

To view a video of his remarks click HERE or on the image below.

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Rep. Peters is a co-sponsor of the bipartisan King-Thompson background check legislation and a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force in the U.S. House of Representatives. Earlier this year, he joined former Mayor and Police Chief of San Diego Jerry Sanders and San Diegans in signing a letter to Congressional leaders calling on them to take action to end the epidemic of gun violence across the country. Rep. Peters delivered the same letter to Speaker Ryan this week.