[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 44 (Wednesday, April 20, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: April 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
         VIOLENT CRIME CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT OF 1994

  (Ms. CANTWELL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind my colleagues that 
our consideration of H.R. 4092--the Violent Crime Control and Law 
Enforcement Act--is a matter of life and death.
  A few weeks ago in Seattle, 16-year-old Melissa Fernandes was 
standing outside Ballard High School with a group of her friends, when 
two cars suddenly sped past and shots were fired. Melissa was killed, 
the innocent victim of a drive-by shooting by members of one gang 
trying to settle a score with their rivals. The gunman who allegedly 
shot Melissa Fernandes is 16 years old.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4092 will not prevent every senseless act of 
violence. Nothing we can do will accomplish that. But we must have the 
courage to take the steps we can, and this bill will help communities 
do two things better: prevent crime and punish criminals.
  We have seen too many of our children become the victims of violence. 
We must act now to stop the violence.
  I met recently with approximately 50 students from five different 
high schools in my district, and I was shocked to learn that the thing 
these kids were worried about most was going to school every day and 
being hurt, or even killed, by one of their own classmates. When I 
asked how many of them had seen guns in their school, most all of them 
raised their hands.
  These kids do not know whether crime rates are going up or down. What 
they know is the story of Melissa Fernandes, and too many others like 
her. They are scared--and they have reason to be.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4092, because it 
promotes effective prevention and prescribes tough punishment. For 
young people like Melissa Fernandes, the passage of this bill is a 
matter of life and death.

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