Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 106 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
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E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 106 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 146 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 2000 No. 32 House of Representatives The House met at 12:30 p.m. and was exceed 30 minutes, and each Member, failing a background check by a li- called to order by the Speaker pro tem- except the majority leader, the minor- censed dealer at a gun show? pore (Mrs. MORELLA). ity leader, or the minority whip, lim- Did the little boy use false identifica- f ited to not to exceed 5 minutes. tion when purchasing the weapon? The Chair recognizes the gentleman Did the little boy use an illegal auto- DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO from Florida (Mr. STEARNS) for 5 min- matic weapon in the assault? TEMPORE utes. Did the little boy have an older per- f son, possibly a 9-year-old child, pur- The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- chase this gun on his behalf? fore the House the following commu- BEFORE NEW GUN LAW, ENFORCE The answer to this killing is not to nication from the Speaker: ONES ON BOOKS be found in too few gun laws, but rath- WASHINGTON, DC, er in how this boy was raised. He was March 21, 2000. Mr. STEARNS. Madam Speaker, it reflects well on the human condition living with his uncle and another man, I hereby appoint the Honorable CONSTANCE sleeping on the couch in the living A. MORELLA to act as Speaker pro tempore that tragedy often brings out the best on this day. in people: compassion, resolve, under- room. It was a home reportedly with a con- J. DENNIS HASTERT, standing. Sometimes, unfortunately, a Speaker of the House of Representatives. tragedy can also release the darker stant flow of strangers seeking crack and trading guns. The .32 caliber pistol f human impulses: cynicism, dishonesty, used to kill the girl was stolen. and opportunism. It is a regret that MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE Now, I expect that some of my col- many times individuals will take ad- leagues would claim that child safety A message from the Senate by Mr. vantage of a tragedy to promote an ill- locks would have prevented the shoot- Lundregan, one of its clerks, an- conceived agenda. ing in the classroom. Now, selling nounced that the Senate has passed a Last month, the Nation was stunned crack is illegal, as is trading for guns. concurrent resolution of the following by the shocking death of 6-year-old Do they really think that these indi- title in which concurrence of the House Kayla Rolland in Mount Morris Town- viduals would have obeyed a law re- is requested: ship, Michigan. This young girl was quiring safety locks? S. Con. Res. 96. Concurrent Resolution rec- killed in a classroom by a fellow stu- I would also remind my colleagues ognizing and honoring the members of the dent, a 6-year-old boy. This loss echoed that Michigan already has a number of American Hellenic Educational Progressive beyond the family involved, her school, State laws targeting gun violence on Association (AHEPA) who are being awarded and their community. It touched all of the books. These are some of the laws: the AHEPA Medal for Military Service for us, evoking a sense of nationwide grief prohibit selling any firearm to a minor service in the Armed Forces of the United and dread. States. under 18; prohibit possession of a hand- Madam Speaker, sadly, it was not gun by person under age 18; prohibit The message also announced that long before the heartbreaking death of possession of any firearms, including pursuant to Public Law 106±31, as this girl was transformed into a means BB guns on school property; prohibit amended by Public Law 106±113, the of a lot of political points. That very possession of even a BB gun beyond the Chair, on behalf of the President pro day, the President announced that this yard of a minor's home unless accom- tempore, appoints the Senator from tragedy should be an election issue. He panied by a person over 18; prohibit in- Tennessee (Mr. FRIST) to the Russian went on to demand passage of various tentionally pointing, even without Leadership Program Advisory Board. gun-control measures. malice, any firearm at another person; f First, we should look at the facts of require that all handguns must be reg- this matter and consider what dif- istered; require a license to purchase a MORNING HOUR DEBATES ference this administration's proposals handgun from a dealer or a private in- The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- would have made. Chuck Green of the dividual; void the handgun license if ant to the order of the House of Janu- Denver Post did this for us when he not used within 10 days of issuance; re- ary 19, 1999, the Chair will now recog- asked these questions in a recent col- quire theft of a gun to be reported to nize Members from lists submitted by umn: police within 5 days of discovery. the majority and minority leaders for Did the little boy have a concealed- Gun violence is a scourge on our Na- morning hour debates. The Chair will carry permit? tion, and we have a responsibility to alternate recognition between the par- Did the little boy purchase the weap- tackle this plague, not with empty ges- ties, with each party limited to not to on from an independent dealer after tures, but with solid action. Instead of b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H1125 . VerDate 20-MAR-2000 02:41 Mar 22, 2000 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A21MR7.000 pfrm02 PsN: H21PT1 H1126 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð HOUSE March 21, 2000 passing new gun laws, we should en- on their hands, that they want a cer- Congress act, but they should make force those already on the books. tain level of violence. I was with the sure that if they have a gun in a home, Here in Washington, for example, President of the United States as he that it is stored safely, and if a child of there are 2,400 violent crimes com- visited the victims and the families in theirs is going to go next door to play mitted with firearms in 1998. Only two my State in Springfield, Oregon; and I at a neighbor's house, they ought to criminals were prosecuted in Federal know that such an assertion is as un- find out if there is a gun in that house court for these gun crimes. This is not true as it is sick and twisted. and demand that it be stored safely be- uncommon. A study by Syracuse Uni- Tragically, it is consistent with the fore their child plays there. versity found that Federal prosecution NRA's approach and that of their There is no excuse for continuing to of gun crimes has dropped, has dropped apologists. They oppose even the most tolerate the highest rate of gun vio- by 44 percent since 1993. simple common sense approaches. If lence in the developed world in our However, only a 2-hour drive from they had their way, the Brady Bill country. here, where I am speaking, vigorous would not have passed and 400,000 fel- f Federal action has helped to reduce ons and mentally ill people would have gun homicides in Richmond, Virginia, had guns outright, instead of elimi- INS MANAGEMENT NEEDS TO DO by one half. Project Exile is an effec- nating that opportunity for them. Does ITS JOB tive, anti-violence program promising anyone think that that would have The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under Federal prosecution and an additional 5 made us safer? the Speaker's announced policy of Jan- years in jail for felons caught with a We do not have to be stalemated by uary 19, 1999, the gentleman from gun. In Richmond, more prosecutions this argument. There are simple com- Washington (Mr. METCALF) is recog- under Federal gun laws took place than mon sense approaches. We can require nized during morning hour debates for in California, New Jersey, New York, safe storage of guns. Maybe it would 5 minutes. and Washington, D.C. combined. not have made a difference for that lit- Mr. METCALF. Madam Speaker, I do The President and his supporters tle 6-year-old boy and the girl he shot not have to remind this House about want to create a false sense of security in terms of that home, but maybe the the fine work of our Border Patrol by enacting more laws with little or no gun would not have been stolen in the agents. They put their lives at risk real impact on the problem. A stronger first place if it had been in a lockbox. every day to slow the flow of illegal commitment to enforcing the laws al- We can lead by example by making drugs into this country and to keep our ready on the books will do far more to sure that smart gun technology is borders safe from dangerous aliens. protect our communities and our available for law enforcement officials. Their work in helping to arrest a sus- school rooms from gun violence. One in six law enforcement officials pected terrorist near Port Angeles, f who are killed with a gun are killed Washington, in December was exem- GUN VIOLENCE UNDERCUTTING with their own service revolver or that plary.