[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 116 (Wednesday, August 17, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 17, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
          CRIME BILL SILENCES THE DEAFENING DRUMBEAT OF CRIME

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, last week we had the opportunity to act on 
the most sweeping anticrime measure ever to come before the Congress. 
We had the opportunity to begin to silence the deafening drumbeat of 
crime: Violence in our homes, drugs in our schools, gunfire in our 
streets.
  The Congress failed when it listened to the NRA rather than the 
country. Congress failed to give the American people the ``three 
strikes and you're out'' provision that puts violent repeat offenders 
behind bars for good.
  Congress let down our families when it failed to put 100,000 more 
cops on the beat and increase safety in our neighborhoods.
  Congress failed law enforcement when it failed to ban dangerous 
assault weapons, the weapon of choice of gang leaders, drug dealers, 
and cop killers, and it let down our children when the opposition used 
its procedural position to block investing in smart prevention programs 
that help them to steer clear of crime and drugs.
  Our families and our communities need our help, and last week our 
institutions failed them.
  Congress this week must take a different course; vote ``yes'' on the 
rule and ``yes'' on the crime bill.

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