[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 117 (Friday, August 2, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S9628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/GUNS BILL

 Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, this morning we had a 
discussion on the floor about legislation I am sponsoring to prohibit 
people convicted of domestic violence from owning guns.
  My bill stands for the simple proposition that wife beaters and child 
abusers should not have guns. It says: Beat your wife, lose your gun. 
Abuse your child, lose your gun. It's that simple. And it's really 
little more than common sense.
  Mr. President, for many months, I had tried to include my proposal as 
part of the stalking bill. And, finally, on July 25, after agreeing to 
several changes at the request of my Republican colleagues, my 
legislation passed the Senate by voice vote.
  Mr. President, the compromise we worked out was supported by the most 
ardent progun Members of this body. And we had an understanding that 
the leadership on both sides of the aisle would work to get the 
legislation passed promptly in the House.
  Now we have just learned that the stalking bill has been inserted 
into the conference report on the DOD authorization bill--but without 
my amendment to keep guns away from wife beaters.
  Mr. President, given the understanding that we had with the 
leadership, this news came as something as a shock to me.
  Earlier this morning, there was a suggestion that somehow I was not 
respecting an agreement we had on this matter. And now this.
  Mr. President, this is not how we should be doing business in this 
body.
  Mr. President, I continue to be amazed at just how far the NRA and 
their supporters are willing to go to let wife beaters and child 
abusers get guns.
  And I think the American people would share my outrage at this. Every 
year, thousands of women and children die at the hands of family 
members. And 65 percent of the time, these murderers use a gun.
  There is no reason why wife beaters and child abusers should have 
guns. Only the most progun extremists could possible disagree with 
that. Unfortunately, these same extremists have incredible power here 
in the Congress.
  Mr. President, I want to make clear to my colleagues that I am not 
going to let this issue die. The lives of thousands of women and 
children are at stake. And I'm going to continue this battle for as 
long as it takes.
  Members of Congress on both sides of Capitol Hill need to be held 
accountable on this. The public has got to know what's going on here.
  Mr. President, I'm convinced that the overwhelming majority of 
Americans would agree.
  Wife beaters should not have guns. Child abusers should not have 
guns.

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