Condemning the atrocity that occurred in Buffalo, New York, on May 14, 2022, in which 10 Americans were killed and 3 were injured, and in which 11 of the 13 victims were Black Americans, condemning the Great Replacement Theory as a White supremacist conspiracy theory, and reaffirming the House of Representatives commitment to combating White supremacy, hatred, and racial injustice.

#413 | HRES Congress #118

Last Action: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. (5/17/2023)

Bill Text Source: Congress.gov

Summary and Impacts
Original Text

Bill Summary

This legislation, titled "Condemning the atrocity that occurred in Buffalo, New York, on May 14,2022," is a resolution passed by the House of Representatives. It aims to address and condemn the violent mass shooting that took place in Buffalo, where 10 Americans were killed and 3 were injured. The resolution also condemns the "Great Replacement Theory," a White supremacist conspiracy theory, and reaffirms the House's commitment to combatting White supremacy in all its forms. The resolution also honors the victims of this tragedy and encourages Americans to remember the victims of racially motivated hate crimes. It calls for a coordinated, whole-of-government approach to address White supremacist violence.

Possible Impacts



1. This legislation could affect people who are victims of racially motivated hate crimes, particularly those who are part of marginalized communities such as Black Americans and Asian Americans. The condemnation of the Great Replacement Theory and reaffirmation of the government's commitment to combat White supremacy sends a message of support and validation to those who have been targeted by these ideologies.

2. The legislation could also affect individuals in positions of power and media institutions who have contributed to the normalization and legitimization of the Great Replacement Theory. By explicitly condemning this theory, the government is calling out their role in perpetuating dangerous and harmful ideologies and encouraging them to rethink their actions.

3. The legislation could also have an impact on gun control laws and policies. The mention of the use of an "assault-style rifle" in the mass shooting in Buffalo may lead to discussions and potential actions to address gun violence and access to firearms.

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 413 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 413

Condemning the atrocity that occurred in Buffalo, New York, on May 14, 
  2022, in which 10 Americans were killed and 3 were injured, and in 
 which 11 of the 13 victims were Black Americans, condemning the Great 
   Replacement Theory as a White supremacist conspiracy theory, and 
reaffirming the House of Representatives commitment to combating White 
                supremacy, hatred, and racial injustice.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 17, 2023

  Mr. Bowman (for himself, Mr. Higgins of New York, Mr. Horsford, Ms. 
Barragan, Ms. Chu, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Takano, Mr. Raskin, Mrs. 
    Ramirez, Ms. Norton, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms. Crockett, Ms. 
   Bonamici, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Johnson of 
 Georgia, Mr. Mfume, Mr. Doggett, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Ms. Brownley, 
 Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Phillips, Mr. Peters, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Sewell, 
Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Ms. Lee of California, Mr. 
Allred, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Casten, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Meng, Mrs. 
Watson Coleman, Ms. Omar, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Tokuda, Ms. Jacobs, Ms. Garcia 
 of Texas, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Carson, Mr. Costa, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. 
 Scanlon, Mr. DeSaulnier, Ms. Bush, Mr. Ruiz, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Lee 
 of Pennsylvania, Mr. Tonko, Mr. Espaillat, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Sanchez, 
    Ms. Clarke of New York, Ms. Balint, Mr. Cicilline, Ms. Dean of 
 Pennsylvania, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Swalwell, Ms. Velazquez, Mr. McGovern, 
    Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Sherman, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Evans, Mr. 
 Cleaver, Ms. Porter, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Torres of New York, 
   Mr. Ryan, Ms. Lee of Nevada, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Green of Texas, Ms. 
    Pingree, Mr. Morelle, Mr. Gomez, Mrs. Torres of California, Mr. 
 Blumenauer, Mr. Soto, Mr. Neguse, Ms. Brown, Ms. Adams, Mrs. Foushee, 
 Mrs. Dingell, Mr. McGarvey, Mr. Mullin, Mrs. Fletcher, Mr. Lynch, Mr. 
Cardenas, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Lieu, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Schiff, Mrs. McBath, 
  Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Castor of 
     Florida, Ms. Sherrill, Ms. Titus, Mr. Magaziner, Mr. Boyle of 
 Pennsylvania, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. Castro of 
   Texas, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Goldman of New York, Mr. David Scott of 
Georgia, Mr. Thanedar, and Ms. Blunt Rochester) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Condemning the atrocity that occurred in Buffalo, New York, on May 14, 
  2022, in which 10 Americans were killed and 3 were injured, and in 
 which 11 of the 13 victims were Black Americans, condemning the Great 
   Replacement Theory as a White supremacist conspiracy theory, and 
reaffirming the House of Representatives commitment to combating White 
                supremacy, hatred, and racial injustice.

Whereas, on May 14, 2022, in Buffalo, New York, 10 Americans were killed and 3 
        were injured by a self-described White supremacist who drove more than 
        200 miles to carry out this racist, violent mass shooting with an 
        assault-style rifle at a supermarket in a predominantly Black 
        neighborhood;
Whereas the self-described White supremacist and antisemite who allegedly 
        carried out this racially motivated, anti-Black massacre with a firearm 
        reportedly wrote a manifesto citing the White supremacist Great 
        Replacement Theory;
Whereas the alleged gunman livestreamed the mass shooting on Twitch;
Whereas the victims who tragically died were Aaron Salter, Ruth Whitfield, 
        Pearly Young, Katherine ``Kat'' Massey, Heyward Patterson, Celestine 
        Chaney, Roberta Drury, Margus D. Morrison, Andre Mackneil, and Geraldine 
        Talley;
Whereas the victims who were injured were Zaire Goodman, Jennifer Warrington, 
        and Christopher Braden;
Whereas the ``Great Replacement Theory'' is a White supremacist conspiracy 
        theory that perpetuates the racist, xenophobic, nativist, Islamophobic, 
        and antisemitic falsehood that non-White immigrants are being brought 
        into the United States and other Western countries to repopulate 
        majority White countries and disempower White voters to achieve a 
        political agenda, and to specifically bring upon the genocide of White 
        people;
Whereas this hateful conspiracy theory has been cited as a motivation for White 
        supremacist terrorist attacks domestically and internationally, 
        including--

    (1) the targeting of a Tops Friendly Market in a predominantly Black 
neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, in 2022, in which the alleged gunman 
murdered 10 Black people, and injured 1 Black person and 2 White people;

    (2) the murder of 9 Black worshipers at the Emanuel African Methodist 
Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015;

    (3) the White nationalist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, 
Virginia, in 2017 that resulted in 9 wounded and in the murder of Heather 
Heyer;

    (4) the murder of 11 people and wounding of 6 in an antisemitic attack 
on the Tree of Life L'Simcha synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 
2018;

    (5) the targeting of Muslim worshippers, in which a gunman murdered 50 
people at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, 
New Zealand, in 2019;

    (6) the targeting of a Walmart in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood 
in El Paso, Texas, in 2019, in which a gunman murdered 23 people and 
injured 3; and

    (7) the targeting of 3 Asian-owned spas in the Atlanta, Georgia, metro 
area on March 16, 2021, in which a gunman killed 8 people, including 6 
Asian women;

Whereas this hateful conspiracy theory and White supremacy inflicts harm to 
        individuals and communities in addition to physical injuries and death;
Whereas many individuals in positions of power and media institutions with 
        widely viewed public platforms have contributed to the normalization and 
        legitimization of the underlying principles of the Great Replacement 
        Theory; and
Whereas the people of the United States stand in solidarity with those harmed by 
        this hateful, senseless tragedy: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns in the strongest terms the Great Replacement 
        Theory, a White supremacist conspiracy theory that has been 
        used to falsely justify racially motivated, violent acts of 
        terrorism domestically and internationally;
            (2) honors the memory and legacy of the victims and 
        acknowledges the lasting impact that this White supremacist act 
        of violent extremism will have on the Black community of 
        Buffalo, New York, the United States, and globally;
            (3) encourages all Americans to remember the victims of 
        racially motivated hate crimes connected to White supremacist 
        conspiracy theories such as the Great Replacement Theory; and
            (4) reaffirms the commitment of the Federal Government to 
        combat White supremacy in all forms by developing the 
        coordinated, whole-of-government approach to address White 
        supremacist violence.
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