CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE June 24, 1999
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14258 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD—SENATE June 24, 1999 I asked President Castro if he was toward religion, from the previous ‘‘cli- cess Prevention, CAP, laws are needed concerned that people might think mate of fear.’’ He attributed the thaw to ensure that adults store loaded guns Cuba had been involved with Oswald. in the government’s position to a rec- with safety devices in place and in lo- He said, ‘‘Yes, we were concerned.’’ ognition that it was not easy to erase cations reasonably inaccessible to chil- President Castro gave an elaborate religious faith. He noted there have al- dren. description of the Cuban Missile Crisis. ways been diplomatic relations be- There is no doubt that owning a fire- He described how Cuba initially bought tween Havana and the Vatican. arm requires precaution and responsi- its weapons from Belgium, a NATO As for living conditions in Cuba bility, especially when young children country, to avoid inciting the United under Castro, the Cardinal said the ob- are around. CAP laws hold adults States. But the second Belgian ship- vious in noting widespread poverty. On criminally responsible if a loaded fire- ment was sabotaged and blown up on human rights, he said the Castro re- arm was left where it could be reason- Havana’s docks, Castro said, and he gime always equates human rights as ably accessed by a juvenile, and the ju- eventually arranged to buy Soviet the right to health, study and edu- venile uses or brings into public the arms. President Castro said former So- cation, a low threshold. adult’s firearm without the permission viet leader Nikita Kruschev made a Our visit was facilitated by the as- of his parent or guardian. Criminal li- mistake in not describing the missiles sistance and cooperation of the U.S. ability would not apply to adults who as defensive weapons and in ‘‘getting team and the Cuban government. have no reasonable expectation of hav- ing a juvenile on their premises or if a into a game of definitions’’ instead of f simply maintaining his right to install juvenile obtains a firearm as a result of CHILD ACCESS PREVENTION weapons without question. President an unlawful entry. CAP laws simply re- Castro noted the United States had Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, as the 1999 quire adults to use common sense safe- weapons at the time in Turkey and school year came to a close, our Nation ty measures, such as secure gun stor- Italy. He described his hunting trip in was shocked by the incidences of age devices or trigger locks for their Russia with Kruschev, and how school violence that claimed so many firearms. Kruschev had pulled out and read from lives. In the aftermath of these trage- Currently, there are 16 States that a letter to Kennedy. When Kruschev dies, Americans have become more sen- have enacted CAP laws. And since the read a passage about Kennedy prom- sitized to the dangers of guns and the first law took effect 10 years ago, state ising to pull U.S. missiles out of Tur- easy access that children have to them. CAP laws have reduced unintentional key and Italy, President Castro said, Yet, despite this additional scrutiny by deaths of children by firearms on an Kruschev realized he had made a mis- parents, guns continue to claim the average of 23 percent. In Florida, just one year after CAP was enacted, unin- take in revealing that Kruschev was lives of young people. Each day, more tentional shootings dropped more than going to breach his deal with Castro children are dying, not just in school- 50 percent. And for every state that has and remove the Cuban missiles. That yards, but in the home. They are killed enacted a safe storage law, there is would leave Cuba vulnerable to U.S. in- by guns in unintentional shootings. compelling evidence that because of vasion, in President Castro’s view. Unintentional shootings are among CAP, children are safer at home. In the end, President Castro said, the the leading causes of death for young people. According to the National Cen- Despite these successes, there are Russian withdrawal also served Cuba’s still an overwhelming number of purpose. ‘‘We preferred the risk of inva- ter for Health Statistics, each day at least one person under the age of 19 is states, including Michigan, without sion to the presence of Soviet troops, CAP laws. And until there is awareness because it would have established an killed by an unintentional shooting. Unsafe guns are an enormous danger to that guns should be locked up and image [of Cuba] as a Soviet base.’’ stored unloaded, guns will continue to President Castro told us about var- these young people, who are the vic- tims of 33 percent of all accidental fire- claim the lives of innocent children. ious assassination attempts against Until CAP or safe storage laws are the arm deaths. And in Michigan, people him by the United States since 1959, law of the land, people will continue to under the age of 19 make up more than some documented by the U.S. Senate’s learn the hard way that the guns in 50 percent of the fatalities caused by Church Committee. Plans were their home meant for protection will unintentional shootings. launched to poison President Castro’s continue to claim the lives of those Unintentional shootings almost al- milk shake, to plant an exploding cigar they are trying to protect. and to blow him up. ‘‘Some of them ways occur at home, when a child finds were childish,’’ he said. President Cas- a loaded weapon and while playing f tro said he had survived largely ‘‘as a with it, shoots himself, a sibling, or a THE VERY BAD DEBT BOXSCORE matter of luck.’’ young friend. Some parents try to take Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, at the I asked him how he felt about being precautions against these tragedies by close of business yesterday, Wednes- the target of so many assassination at- hiding their firearm in a drawer, a clos- day, June 23, 1999, the Federal debt tempts. et or even under the mattress. Unfortu- stood at $5,594,431,506,414.50 (Five tril- President Castro replied, ‘‘Do you nately, if it is loaded or without a safe- lion, five hundred ninety-four billion, play any sports?’’ ty lock, it does not matter where that four hundred thirty-one million, five I said, ‘‘I play squash every day.’’ gun is hidden. It has the potential to hundred six thousand, four hundred He said, ‘‘That is my sport.’’ kill, and for hundreds of kids each fourteen dollars and fifty cents). Throughout the evening, the Cuban year, it does just that. One year ago, June 23, 1998, the Fed- President frequently dispatched an Daily shootings resulting from the eral debt stood at $5,500,927,000,000 aide or minister in the wee hours to careless storage of guns can easily be (Five trillion, five hundred billion, nine produce a document or find an offi- prevented. Locking devices for guns are hundred twenty-seven million). cial’s name. The aides performed their simple to handle and inexpensive, but Five years ago, June 23, 1994, the Fed- research in short order. In one case, they must be used. In the Juvenile Jus- eral debt stood at $4,598,158,000,000 President Castro wanted the name of a tice bill that passed the Senate just a (Four trillion, five hundred ninety- U.S. Senator who had visited Cuba in few weeks ago, an amendment was in- eight billion, one hundred fifty-eight 1977, which turned out to be former cluded that would require all sales, de- million). Sen. Lowell Weicker of Connecticut. liveries or transfers of handguns to in- Ten years ago, June 23, 1989, the Fed- The next morning—or, more accu- clude a secure gun storage or safety de- eral debt stood at $2,780,957,000,000 (Two rately, later Thursday morning—we vice, which was a step in the right di- trillion, seven hundred eighty billion, met with Cardinal Ortega. Like Dr. rection. But, there was nothing to re- nine hundred fifty-seven million) which Miller of the Havana synagogue, Car- quire that adults, especially with chil- reflects a debt increase of more than $2 dinal Ortega also said the Cuban re- dren in the house, use those safety de- trillion—$2,813,474,506,414.50 (Two tril- gime had adopted a more open attitude vices. Safe storage laws, or Child Ac- lion, eight hundred thirteen billion, VerDate jul 14 2003 14:45 Oct 04, 2004 Jkt 069102 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 0686 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR99\S24JN9.001 S24JN9.