[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 87 (Monday, July 6, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S7342]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            ORDER FOR RECESS

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. I now ask that the Senate stand in recess 
until 2:30 p.m. today following the remarks of the Senator from Oregon.
  Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Chair recognizes the Senator from Oregon, Mr. Wyden.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, I thank the Chair.
  Mr. President, every Member of this body has watched horrified these 
last few months at the outbreak of gun violence that has struck 
America's schools. Now, with the new school year just a few weeks away, 
it is time for this body to respond to America's parents who are 
frightened for their youngsters and are asking, what can be done to 
protect their children when they are at school?
  Frankly, a lot of those parents don't believe that this Congress will 
produce very much. They know there has been considerable acrimony about 
the whole debate over guns in America. Certainly there are many areas 
where reasonable people can differ. There are constitutional 
protections with respect to the right to bear arms, and at the same 
time we are also concerned about the safety of those youngsters when 
they are away at school.
  Senator Gordon Smith, my colleague from Oregon, and I believe it is 
time to set politics aside with respect to this issue of gun violence 
in our schools. That is why we have teamed up on important legislation 
which we believe ought to be enacted by the time school starts in the 
fall. We don't think this is the complete answer to this scourge of 
school violence, gun violence, that our youngsters face, but we think 
it can make a real difference.
  We propose this legislation after the tragedy in Springfield, OR. As 
the Presiding Officer of this body knows, there has been a rash of 
these violent incidents at our schools. The problems have literally 
been seen in schools from coast to coast. Senator Smith and I have 
introduced legislation which I believe would lay out the beginnings of 
a rational policy to control school violence in America.
  What we have proposed--we did it after consulting with families, law 
enforcement officials, educators, people who are for gun control, 
people who are against gun control--we have proposed legislation which 
would stipulate that when a young person brings a gun to school, that 
would, in effect, be a five-alarm warning to society. It would make it 
very clear that at that point there is a real threat to young people, 
to teachers, and our society. And young people who bring a gun to 
school, under our legislation, would be detained for up to 72 hours for 
a comprehensive evaluation, from the standpoint of mental health 
considerations, law enforcement issues, family questions, the whole 
gamut of concerns that ought to be looked at when a young person brings 
a gun to school.
  The alleged killer at Thurston High School, in Springfield, OR, was 
apprehended at school with a gun the day before he shot more than 20 of 
his classmates. That day, the police made a decision which is 
duplicated each day across our Nation, a decision that seemed 
reasonable at the time. The youngster was released to his parents, 
parents who were themselves teachers and who were known to be concerned 
and involved in the lives of their children. Currently, many police 
departments across America have complete discretion to treat young 
people caught with a gun at school in the manner they deem appropriate. 
As Springfield's own police chief has argued, the evaluation that needs 
to occur in these situations is beyond the means and capacity of most 
police forces across our country.
  So Senator Smith and I have introduced legislation which would 
provide an incentive for each State to enact a law requiring a 
mandatory 72-hour detention for any child caught with a gun at school. 
If a State passes such a law, it will be eligible for an additional 25 
percent in funding under the Juvenile Justice Act. The cost of this 
legislation is small, perhaps $25 million a year, and certainly modest 
when you look at the State's overall requirements in the effort to 
prevent school violence.
  Now, Mr. President, we are not suggesting that this is all that needs 
to be done. Certainly, though, our first responsibility when a child 
brings a gun to school is to protect all of the kids who come to that 
school armed only with their books and their calculators. Children 
caught with a gun at school ought to be detained for a sufficient 
period to protect the other children and to evaluate the degree to 
which they are a threat to themselves and those around them.
  I believe this legislation can win the support of every Member of 
this body, be enacted in time for the opening of the fall school 
year and should be acted on as soon as possible. Mr. President, Bill 
Clinton has spoken favorably of this legislation during his visit to 
Springfield, OR. The Nation's mayors--Democrats, Republicans, liberals, 
conservatives--have spoken favorably of this legislation. I am very 
hopeful that even though this body has an extremely busy schedule in 
the weeks ahead, there will be time, on a bipartisan basis, to ensure 
that this legislation moves forward.

  According to Larry Bentz, principal of Thurston High School in 
Springfield, OR, the Thurston High community is slowly returning to 
some semblance of normalcy. The kids are engaged in the traditions of 
summer--swimming, playing basketball, summer jobs. With the memories of 
the brutal shooting at the high school seared into their memories, the 
parents are trying to push ahead and return to family routines and 
responsibilities. But they want to make sure that this body, and 
elected officials everywhere, don't forget about the gun violence that 
has shattered young lives and families in Springfield, OR--and, in 
fact, in five States over the last school year. Senator Smith and I 
urge that this body not let that happen. We ought to listen and learn 
from the lessons of Springfield and commit to doing our part to end 
school gun violence now as the schools look to opening their doors for 
a new school year.
  Now, the Thurston community is still processing the tragedy at 
Thurston High. They are debating a variety of approaches and ideas for 
reducing school violence. Senator Smith and I don't pretend to have all 
of the answers, but we know there are some practical steps that the 
U.S. Senate can take, and take promptly, to make our schools safer in 
America.
  There are other steps that need to be taken, Mr. President. We have 
to make certain that communities have the resources to evaluate kids in 
trouble. I heard again and again, as I visited with families in 
Springfield, from hard-working, middle-class families, that they simply 
could not get any help until their youngster was violent. That is just 
not acceptable in America, Mr. President. It is not right to say that 
there will be no response until a young person is actually violent. We 
have to get there early. We have to get there with preventive 
strategies.
  Senator Smith and I hope to be back before the U.S. Senate with other 
constructive approaches in the days ahead. But let us make a strong 
beginning, Mr. President. Let us make a strong effort in the U.S. 
Senate to take the first step to averting further school tragedies. In 
Oregon alone, young people were apprehended with guns at school 100 
times in the last school year--and those were simply the ones who were 
caught. So as our country goes about the business of the pleasures of 
summer, and as the U.S. Senate deals with what we know is going to be a 
very hectic schedule over the next few weeks, let's not forget about 
what happened in Springfield, OR, in Kentucky, in Arkansas and in 
Mississippi. Let us remember that our young people will be back in 
school in just a few weeks. Let us do our part to make sure that school 
violence ends here.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.

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