[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 55 (Wednesday, April 21, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H2240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL SHOOTING

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Udall) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, as a Coloradoan and as an 
American, I am profoundly shocked and saddened by the shootings at 
Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, yesterday. My thoughts 
and prayers go out to the families who have been victims of this 
terrible crime.
  I can hardly imagine the horror and pain experienced by the families 
who lost loved ones in this tragedy, and as the father of two school 
aged children, I am deeply distressed by the prospect that our schools 
have become places where this kind of violence can take place.
  Today, however, is not a time to rush to judgment about the causes or 
cures for this tragedy. I do believe, however, that parents, community 
leaders and policymakers at all levels, including school boards, State 
legislators and our national government need to come together in coming 
weeks and reflect upon this tragedy. We need a fuller discussion of the 
values we share as Americans, and we need to work more actively than 
ever before to make our schools safe and to ensure that our Nation's 
classrooms are places for learning and for nurturing the full potential 
of our young people.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that as a Nation we will respond to this incident 
by looking beyond our prejudices and political leanings. My concern is 
that the violence that took place in Colorado has deeper implications 
for our future than we can fully fathom at this moment. I fear it goes 
deeper than observations about a decline in our values or moral decay 
as a society.
  Ultimately, this tragedy will challenge us to carefully explore our 
understanding of rights and freedoms, whether it is access to the 
Internet or access to guns. Moreover, it will challenge us to place an 
even greater priority on the quality of our lives and the lives of our 
children.

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