[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 27, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4242-S4247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRAGEDY IN LITTLETON, COLORADO
Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, many of my colleagues in the Senate will
speak on this resolution today. I know that the families and, indeed,
all of Colorado appreciate their deep and heartfelt sorrow.
On my father's side, as you know, Mr. President, I am Cheyenne, so I
would like to begin speaking in the manner of his people.
This fan comes from the eagle. The old people call the eagle the
keeper of the Earth, the one that watches over the domain of the
Grandfather Spirit.
This pipe carries the smoke with the words and the thoughts from the
people who use it to the Creator.
This flute is used to carry songs of love, forgiveness, and
brotherhood.
So, Mr. President, I hope that the voices of all the council fires
and pipes send our pleas as Senators as we ask for guidance as we try
to rid ourselves of violence in this Nation.
I would like the great winged brother that he has chosen as our
national symbol of freedom and justice to oversee all of his children.
Further, I would like the winds to carry the sweetness and harmony and
tolerance of the flute to the Grandfather Spirit.
Mr. President, traditional Indian people do not believe that death is
finite. Indeed, they believe that mortal remains return to Mother Earth
from
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which they came, but the soul, which is the part of you that is
timeless, goes on to the next world to be forever in the presence of
the Great Spirit in a place that is absent of avarice and greed, devoid
of hunger and sickness, barren of anger, jealousy, and hate. It is a
place of goodness where springtime is forever.
That is the place where Indian people believe the innocent victims of
Columbine High School have journeyed. Although their time on Earth was
far too short, the elders remind us that the grace of the Creator made
our lives so much better by allowing them to be with us for a time,
however short.
Columbine High School will go on because our departed friends would
have it so, but it will never forget.
I have heard the debate thus far on this terrible tragedy, and I have
to ask: Are more laws the answer? I frankly do not know, Mr. President.
Seventeen Federal laws and I think over 6 State laws were broken during
that terrible tragedy. Would 1 more or 100 more have helped? I do not
know.
I suppose there will be a rush to judgment. And I expect a torrent of
proposed legislation, and perhaps some of it will help, perhaps not.
But certainly I, as one Senator, will consider any proposal to make
things better.
Mr. President, none of us have all the answers. But we know we cannot
legislate tolerance. We cannot mandate that you love your neighbor. We
can pass no law requiring Americans to respect each other. Those
qualities are learned, as is hate and intolerance.
Government has its place, Mr. President, but so do churches,
families, clubs, schools, teams, and indeed complete communities. I
hope that we do not confuse who should do what. And let our actions
reflect the Good Book at least as much as it does the law book. But
above all, let us keep the memory of these innocent children and a
heroic teacher alive as we strive for a solution.
Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Gorton). Who yields time?
Mr. ALLARD addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The junior Senator from Colorado.
Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I compliment my colleague, the senior
Senator from Colorado, Mr. Campbell, for his fine floor statement. I
was especially touched when he brought in the meaning of what was
happening in Colorado in relation to his forefathers, the Cheyenne
people. It means a lot to me personally to hear those words, because I
consider us part of one big family.
I do have a perspective that I would like to share with the Members
of the Senate.
Mr. President, House Concurrent Resolution No. 92 is sponsored by Tom
Tancredo. The House of Representatives approved this resolution earlier
today, exactly 1 week after Columbine High School was tragically
ravaged by two of its students. The school and a large majority of its
students live in the Sixth Congressional District. Congressman Tancredo
represents this district and lives a short distance from Columbine High
School.
This resolution is intended to express our feelings of sorrow about
the tragedy in Littleton, CO. This resolution is also intended to
express our appreciation for those in the community who responded with
courage and compassion, including the students themselves.
Today, the State of Colorado observed a moment of silence at 11:21
a.m. mountain daylight time. This was approximately when the terrorism
began 1 week ago at Columbine High School.
Earlier today, the Senate joined Senator Campbell and me in a moment
of silence and prayer led by the Senate Chaplain. On behalf of
Colorado, and especially the citizens of Jefferson County, I thank you
for sharing in this gesture of respect and mourning.
My wife Joan and I attended the memorial service this Sunday, April
25, for those who were killed: Cassie Bernall, Steven Curnow, Corey
DePooter, Kelly Fleming, Matthew Kechter, Daniel Mauser, Daniel
Rohrbough, Rachel Scott, Isaiah Shoels, John Tomlin, Lauren Townsend,
Kyle Velasquez, and their teacher, William ``Dave'' Sanders.
At the memorial service, we shared our profound sense of loss with
Vice President Gore, Colorado Governor Owens, Congressman Tancredo, the
students, teachers, and parents of Columbine High, and the people of
Jefferson County and Colorado.
I have never experienced anything that compares to the collective
feeling of loss, sadness, and disbelief in Colorado. I would estimate
that approximately 75,000 people attended the memorial service. Among
those gathered in sorrow, Joan and I witnessed a strong belief in God.
We prayed together and searched for answers.
During the past week, many of my colleagues have come to the floor to
share their condolences and concern for the students and teachers who
have lost their lives or who have been injured in this senseless
tragedy. I do hope that our thoughts and prayers have helped to comfort
the students, parents, and teachers of the Columbine High School
community. Again, I offer my deepest sympathy to those who are
suffering.
Our Nation continues to grieve with the families and friends of the
killed and injured students and teachers. We are still attempting to
understand what happened and why. People are trying to cope with the
terror that has crept into our lives. It has become obvious at this
point that there are no easy answers. We need to examine the problems
facing our youth, but it is critical that we take time to carefully
consider the solutions being offered.
There are things that society can do, but those who are looking for
easy solutions should take a step back. The families, teachers, and
students of Columbine, and the people of Colorado, need time to mourn
their losses. We need to wait for law enforcement to finish their
investigation. We should study other instances of school violence
throughout America and look for a common thread.
We need to carefully evaluate all of the evidence and consider the
possible solutions. In addition, it has been estimated that 17 laws
were broken by the two students, and we need to evaluate what the
current law should have done.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have a list of those 17
laws printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Violations of Federal and State Laws by the Alleged Perpetrators of the
Crime at Columbine High School, Littleton, Colorado
Details of the explosives and firearms used by the alleged
perpetrators have not been confirmed by law enforcement
authorities. The crime scene is still being examined and
cleared. It is unknown how the alleged perpetrators came into
possession of the explosives and firearms they used.
The alleged perpetrators, obviously, committed multiple
counts of murder and attempted murder, the most serious
crimes of all. And they committed many violations of laws
against destruction of property, such as in the school
building and the cars in the parking lot outside. All told,
the prison sentences possible for these multiple, serious
violations amount to many hundreds of years.
Additionally, in the course of planning and committing
these crimes, the alleged perpetrators committed numerous
violations of very serious federal and state laws relating to
explosives and firearms, and, depending on details not yet
known, may have committed other such violations.
Cumulatively, the prison sentences possible for these
violations alone amount to many hundreds of years. A partial
list of those violations follows:
1. Possession of a ``destructive device'' (i.e., bomb).
(Multiple counts.) Prohibited under 26 U.S.C. Chapter 53.
Each violation is punishable by 10 years in prison and a
$10,000 fine. Other explosives violations are under 18 U.S.C.
842.
Colorado law [18-12-109(2)] prohibits the possession of an
``explosive or incendiary device.'' Each violation is a Class
4 felony. Colorado [18-12-109(6)] also prohibits possession
of ``explosive or incendiary parts,'' defined to include,
individually, a substantial variety of components used to
make explosive or incendiary devices. Each violation is a
Class 4 felony.
2. Manufacturing a ``destructive device'' (i.e., bomb).
(Multiple counts.) Prohibited under 26 U.S.C. Chapter 53.
Each violation is punishable by 10 years in prison and a
$10,000 fine.
3. Use of an explosive or incendiary device in the
commission of a felony. Prohibited under Colorado law [18-12-
109(4)]. A class 2 felony.
4. Setting a device designed to cause an explosion upon
being triggered. Violation of Colorado law. (Citation
uncertain)
5. Use of a firearm or ``destructive device'' (i.e. bomb)
to commit a murder that is prosecutable in a federal court.
Enhanced penalty under 18 U.S.C. 924(i). Punishable by death
or up to life in prison. A federal nexus is through 18 U.S.C.
922(q), prohibiting the
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discharge of a firearm, on school property, with reckless
disregard for the safety of another person.
6. Use of a firearm or ``destructive device'' (i.e., bomb)
in a crime of violence that is prosecutable in a federal
court. Enhanced penalty under 18 U.S.C. 924(c). Penalty is 5
years if a firearm; 10 years if a ``sawed-off'' shotgun,
``sawed-off'' rifle or ``assault weapon;'' and 30 years if
the weapon is a ``destructive device'' (bomb, etc.).
Convictions subsequent to the first receive 20 years or, if
the weapon is a bomb, life imprisonment. Again, a federal
nexus is through 18 U.S.C. 922(q), prohibiting the discharge
of a firearm, on school property, with reckless disregard for
the safety of another person.
7. Conspiracy to commit a crime of violence prosecutable in
federal court. Enhanced penalty under 18 U.S.C. 924(n).
Penalty is 20 years if the weapon is a firearm, life
imprisonment if the weapon is a bomb. Again, a federal nexus
is through 18 U.S.C. 922(q), prohibiting the discharge of a
firearm, on school property, with reckless disregard for the
safety of another person.
8. Possession of a short-barreled shotgun or rifle. Some
news accounts have suggested that the alleged perpetrators
may have possessed a ``sawed-off'' rifle. (A shotgun or rifle
less than 26'' in overall length, or a shotgun was a barrel
of less than 18'', or a rifle with a barrel of less than
16''.) A spokesman for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office
reported, possibly, at least one long gun with the stock cut
off. Prohibited under 26 U.S.C. Chapter 53. A violation is
punishable by 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Colorado law [18-12-102(3)] prohibits possession of a
``dangerous weapon'' (defined to include sawed-off guns).
First violation is a Class 5 felony; subsequent violations
are Class 4 felonies.
9. Manufacturing a ``sawed-off'' shotgun or ``sawed-off''
rifle. Prohibited under 26 U.S.C. Chapter 53. Each violation
is punishable by 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
10. Possession of a handgun or handgun ammunition by a
person under age 18: Some news accounts report one alleged
perpetrator as being 17 years of age. It is yet unclear what
firearms were involved in the crime. A person under age 18 is
prohibited from possessing a handgun or handgun ammunition,
except for legitimate target shooting, hunting, and firearms
training activities, and similar legitimate reasons.[18
U.S.C. 922(x), part of the 1994 crime bill.] A violation is
punishable by one year in prison.
11. Providing a handgun or handgun or handgun ammunition to
a person under age 18. Prohibited under the same provision
noted in #4, above. Penalty of one year, unless the provider
knew the gun would be used in a crime of violence, in which
case the penalty is 10 years.
12. Age restrictions on purchasing firearms. Again, the age
of the second suspect and how the alleged perpetrators came
into possession of firearms are unclear. However, licensed
dealers may sell rifles and shotguns only to persons age 18
or over, and handguns to persons age 21 or over. [18 U.S.C.
922(b)(1)]
13. Possession of a firearm on school property. Prohibited
under 18 U.S.C. 922(q). Five year penalty. Colorado also
prohibits a gun on school property. (Citation uncertain.)
14. Discharge of a firearm on school property, with a
reckless disregard for another's safety. Prohibited under 18
U.S.C. 922q. Five year penalty.
15. Possession, interstate transportation, sale, etc., of a
stolen firearm. Prohibited under 18 U.S.C. 922(i) and (j). A
violation is punishable by 10 years.
16. Intentionally aiming a firearm at another person.
Violation of Colorado law.
17. Displaying a firearm in a public place in a manner
calculated to alarm, or discharging a firearm in a public
place except on a lawful target practice or hunting place.
Violation of Colorado law.
Mr. ALLARD. Whatever the solution, I am convinced that we will never
alleviate the problem completely, but we certainly can reduce its
occurrence.
It is hard to understand how two students can become so
dysfunctional, but we need to continue to search for answers. There is
no simple solution. We must pledge ourselves to do what we can. I ask
that the Senate begin by approving this resolution.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time?
Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I come to the floor this afternoon to join
with my colleagues in an expression directed by House Concurrent
Resolution 92, which deals with the situation that occurred in
Columbine High School in Littleton, CO.
I come this afternoon with no answers, and I wish I had some. Like
most of us, I have thought a great deal about the crisis from the
moment we watched it unfolding on national television late last week. I
guess in all of this, I have been struck by how quickly some people
rush to explain what happened and offer solutions to prevent such a
terrible crime from ever happening again. I wish I had a crystal ball
and could do that. But that is not what has occurred; I don't have a
crystal ball that can show all that clearly.
The investigation of the crime is not yet completed, and the
community is still in shock. My guess is it is only natural to react by
trying to make some sense out of all of this, to locate the exact point
where something terribly, terribly wrong happened, to tell everyone to
stay away from that point, and to pass a law that would keep everyone
away from that point, so that it would shield us and our kids and our
communities from harm. While it may be natural, my guess is that at
this time it would be a mistake. It would be a mistake to designate the
point and rush to judgment, because that judgment may be different
tomorrow, based on the facts that are now unfolding.
I don't believe there is a Senator on this floor who has all of the
answers. I am impatient to have more information, and I hope it will
come out, because I would like to think that Columbine--the situation
that happened in that high school is a point of time we will all stop
and think about and deal with as an issue which we will never allow to
happen again.
I just came off the Capitol steps a few moments ago from speaking to
a marvelously beautiful group of students from Payette, and Parma, and
Middleton, ID. They asked me, ``Senator, what can you do to make our
schools safer?'' I said, ``You know, I am not sure I know what to do,
because those young men at that high school in Colorado broke 17 laws,
State and Federal''--laws that say it is against the law to possess a
destructive device, or a bomb; laws that say that manufacturing a
destructive device is wrong and against the law; laws that say the use
of an explosive or incendiary device in the commission of a felony is
against the law. They broke all of those. The law was there and it
didn't stop them.
How about setting a device designed to cause an explosion upon being
triggered? That is against the law. It is a violation of State law in
Colorado. It didn't stop what happened there in Littleton. There is a
law regarding the use of a firearm or destructive device to commit a
murder that is prosecutable in a Federal court. That is against the
law. Yet, those two young men defied the law. The use of a firearm or a
destructive device in relation to other activities is against the law.
I could read all 17 of these laws, and not one of them saved one
child or that teacher, that coach, at that high school. Maybe if you
had stacked all the laws against the front door, in book form, you
would have blocked the entry of those kids with their bombs for just a
moment in time, and that school might have been saved. But nobody did
that. We could rush to judgment today and pass a lot more laws and take
those books of laws and stack them up against the schoolhouse door. My
guess is that not one more child in America would be safer.
Laws are important, and I am not suggesting they are not. They direct
a civil society to, hopefully, do better things. But they need to be
carefully-thought-out laws. My guess is that the breaking point is at
hand, when America as a culture had better turn and look at itself and
ask, ``Why?''
When those kids asked me what I could do this afternoon, I asked
them, ``What are you, as students, prepared to do?'' It ``ain't cool''
to rat on a fellow student. Peer pressure is such that young people
don't talk about another young person with their principals or
superintendents--even if the young person said, ``I am going to kill
somebody,'' or do something else wrong. It isn't cool. Yet, if you
don't do something, maybe it is Columbine that happens.
I would like to see our schools become zones for education. Drug-
free? Absolutely. Gun-free? Absolutely. But zones for education, not
primarily socialization and the mixing and all of the kinds of things
that go on in schools. Let's set some rules. How about a dress code?
How about random inspection of lockers? If you are going to educate and
you are going to make a safe haven for education, maybe it is
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time you bring discipline back to schools and you say to the bad
actors: You are out.
I don't know that that is the answer, but I think it is time our
society talks about it, because we have passed a lot of gun laws in the
last decade in this Congress and children died last week in Littleton,
CO, in spite of all those gun laws we passed, all those bomb laws we
passed.
I don't think there is a Senator on the floor who is going to rush
out and say it is against the law to buy a pipe--nor should they--or
against the law to go out and buy a propane canister to fuel your
barbecue. But those were tools used in bombs in Littleton's high
school. There is no Senator who will do that, because there may not be
any political bounce in it and it just would not make common sense.
So let us let the survivors mourn in Littleton, CO. Let us let that
community heal. Let's let the law enforcement people try to make sense
of what made these young men tick, by their diaries, by their web page,
by their play-acting, by the evil that invaded their hearts. Then maybe
we, as public people, can help reshape our very wonderful culture.
Yes, maybe it will take some changes in law. There is no disputing
what I represent, and most people in this body know I am a strong
supporter of second amendment rights. I am also a strong supporter of
first amendment rights. I am not going to trample on those rights, and
I am going to supply formidable debate and opposition to anybody who
will on this floor try to reshape them in the name of safety and
security. But I am willing to put those rights on the line, and I am
willing to say--to a culture that has failed to recognize that along
with rights comes responsibility--that it is now time to get
responsible.
That is what I told those young people a few moments ago on the steps
of their Nation's Capitol--that I was going to fight to secure for them
the kind of freedoms my forebears had fought to secure for me; that I
had accepted the responsibility that came with those rights and they,
too, must; that passing laws in the U.S. Congress does not a safer
world make, unless the laws are enforceable and unless people genuinely
agree with them.
So I think it is appropriate that our leader has asked us to take
pause, not rush to judgment, not play to the politics of the moment,
but to take a deep breath and think awhile, let a community heal just a
bit, speak to it in the form of the resolution that is now before us,
allow the investigators to patch together this weird and terribly evil
story. And then let's examine it as a Congress, as an American culture,
and say to ourselves we must become more responsible--responsible as
legislators, responsible as parents, responsible as a culture, in
taking our rights in a way that demonstrates the responsibility that
goes with them.
I say to the citizens of Littleton, CO, how terribly sorry I am. My
wife and I mourn with them. We have three beautiful children and a
grandbaby, and we are so glad that they are safe and happy today. We
know there are parents in Littleton, CO, who have lost something that
can never and will never be replaced. So I am pleased that today, as a
Congress and as a Senate, we are speaking to the people of Littleton,
CO, and then we will step back and allow the healing process to begin
as the investigative work is completed. Then, and only then, is it
right and proper that we engage. And I will not be a vehicle to
obstruct that engagement. That would be wrong. But we will soon have a
juvenile crime bill on the floor. That is the appropriate place to talk
about how to deal with this issue, and from sound information make
quality judgments about how we may help our culture reshape itself in a
responsible and caring fashion.
I yield the floor.
Mr. KENNEDY addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
Privilege Of The Floor
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that floor
privileges for Angela Williams and David Goldberg be granted for the
106th Congress.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. KENNEDY. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative assistant proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, as we consider this resolution before the
Senate to remember those who lost their lives just one short week ago
in Littleton, Colorado, we are once again reminded of an event which is
heart-wrenchingly tragic and one that bears out the need for educators,
parents, and government officials to work together to ensure that the
classroom is a safe place for all students.
The tragic events last Tuesday at Columbine High School serve as yet
another warning that something has gone terribly wrong in our nation.
Schools are not the idyllic places that they once were. They are less
and less safe havens, conducive to study, but, rather, increasingly,
are proving to be unstable communities, teetering on the brink of
violent outbursts.
It makes me long for the old high school which I attended and from
which I graduated 65 years ago. It makes me long for the little two-
room schoolhouse in which I began my studies along about 1923.
Sometimes I think schools are too large these days. They don't allow
for the personal attention that teachers could otherwise show students.
They are conducive, I think, by their very largeness to the creation of
gangs, hate groups, and so on.
The scene of screaming students rushing outside through schoolhouse
doors, some hobbling or clenching a gunshot wound to the arm or leg,
and others overwhelmed with fear for their own lives, has become all
too familiar to this nation during the past few years. From West
Paducah, Kentucky, to Jonesboro, Arkansas; Springfield, Oregon; and now
to the community of Littleton, Colorado, gun shots have shattered the
silence and tranquillity of an otherwise typical high school day,
abruptly ending the innocence of youth, and launching families and
friends into some of the most difficult days of life that no human
being should have to confront.
We would have never dreamed of this kind of thing in my school days.
Mr. President, there is a crying need to do more to protect our
children. But, the unfortunate reality of the situation is that there
is no single-step panacea to prevent further bloodshed at schools
across the country. One could make many suggestions. Many suggestions
are readily obvious. But the problem of school violence does not begin
and end on school grounds. It is much more pervasive. It reaches beyond
the schoolyard gates, into our communities and into our homes.
It is unfortunate that we live in a country where criminals find ways
to get around the law and do evil, but it happens. Hatred is a powerful
demon that can draw people to do things we do not truly understand. I
have seen it in my own lifetime, and, I try, whenever possible, to help
teach young people to avoid such egregious mistakes. Of course, the
young are not alone in the making of these mistakes. But mine is only
one voice. But it is one voice.
I often take time out to talk with the pages here. I don't have to do
it. Nobody makes me do it. Nobody tells me to do it. But I like to talk
to these young people. These are fine young people, these pages of ours
on both sides of the aisle. I often pause to take a half hour with them
to talk about wholesome experiences, and to relate good stories from
Chaucer, and from other great authors, as I feel that if I can do a
little good with these young people here, who knows where this
influence will stop?
While it is my intention to make any and all efforts to prevent this
kind of tragedy before it visits another region of the country, it is
essential that we take up the effort and the responsibility to raise
our children, to nurture them, to protect them, to guard them as much
as we can from these evil influences that are always ready to prey upon
them, and it is my desire always to try to provide these young people
with a solid foundation, to encourage them to engage in wholesome
pursuits and to read from good literature, and in this way I think
adults can help to
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provide them with a solid foundation--spiritually, emotionally, and
intellectually. We have to indulge with caution any idea that there can
be morality without religion. Protecting our Nation's children should
be a team effort, not simply a matter of public policy.
If we ever have a hope of preventing violence in the classroom,
parents must take an active role in their child's life and monitor
their child's behavior for unusual actions or alarming conduct.
Teachers carry similar responsibilities and must no longer ``chalk up''
unusual behavior to the simple conclusion of a student having a bad
day. We have witnessed too many oversights like this which have
snatched the lives of other innocent children caught in the line of
fire.
Moreover, we should not be surprised, given the excessive and
mindless violence--I tell you, it is excessive, because I see it when I
turn on the television--mindless violence, excessive violence. We
should not be surprised then, given the excessive and mindless violence
infiltrating, permeating, the television airwaves and now the Internet,
that we really have a problem in today's society. It is not a hidden
fact that I am no fan of the muck that spews out over the tube or the
obscenities rumbled by so-called actors and actresses in a TV drama,
but there is little that we in Congress can do to regulate children
from jumbling their brains with this nonsense.
Parents must no longer give their children free rein of the remote
control or unmonitored access to dial up those polluted websites
running rampant over the Internet. Children, with their inquisitive
young minds, too often repeat what they see on TV or read about over
the Internet, and with little guidance from parents, it is next to
impossible to prevent this often fatal ``copycat'' action from
recurring.
Probably most disappointing to me is that in watching the news
recently, it seems that the tragic news of a school shooting has become
somewhat of a feeding frenzy for the media to hit the airwaves with
explicit details, often those that are too easily digested by a
listening youngster experiencing emotional distress. It seems
counterproductive, even dangerous, to offer what amounts to free
advertising by reporting on the Internet websites that hand out free
explanations on how to make a bomb or where to obtain a gun. Mr.
President, when is enough enough?
Efforts to end school violence can be, and will likely be, undone by
this practice of revealing too much information with little thought of
the future implications. I urge the media to think about the possible
consequences of their actions before trying to beat the other news team
to the latest punch line. Supplying children with information that
could lead to the perpetuation of school violence is not the solution.
Children need not be confronted with all of the finite details of the
gory pictures as they sit down to the breakfast table with their
parents.
The tragedy at Columbine High School may be impossible to ever, ever
truly understand. But that should not deter us from seeking answers and
working for solutions. It is time to stop wringing our hands over this
issue and take action so that we in Congress can support measures that
might prevent a recurrence of this nightmare.
I am concerned that we may be approaching the day when our nation's
students spend more time in the classroom thinking about the potential
for a gun pop than a pop quiz. A day when teachers are too preoccupied
with their own fear of a gun emerging into their classroom to teach
their students the basic grammatical structure or algebraic formula
properly. Today's children deserve the opportunity to get an education.
Today's teachers deserve the opportunity to teach. They deserve this
just as much as the children and the teachers of yesteryear. We must
all do whatever we can to ensure that today's children and those of the
future have an opportunity to excel academically in an environment free
from guns, knives, and other weapons.
I look forward to working with Senator Lieberman in the upcoming
weeks to author legislation that would establish a National Commission
on School Violence to help get at the root of this problem if that is
possible. It is my hope that by joining forces between educators,
children, parents, media, and others, we will gain a more vivid
perspective on what leads to violent behavior behind the schoolhouse
doors, and that we can begin to remedy this harrowing problem
overtaking our nation's schools. I urge teachers and parents, church
and civic leaders to do the same. This type of disaster can occur
anywhere--we must act now if we are to prevent a replay of this
nightmare in another American community.
I hope parents throughout the Nation are thinking soberly, soberly
about this problem.
I took a piece of plastic clay
And idly fashioned it one day
And as my fingers pressed it still
It moved and yielded to my will.
I came again when days were past.
The bit of clay was hard at last.
The form I gave it, it still bore,
And I could change that form no more.
I took a piece of living clay
And gently formed it day by day.
And molded with my power and art.
A young child's soft and yielding heart.
I came again when years were gone,
He was a man I looked upon.
He still that early impress wore,
And I could change him nevermore.
There is a lesson in this for all of us. I hope we will learn it.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative assistant proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Smith of Oregon). Without objection, it is
so ordered.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 92) expressing the
sense of Congress with respect to the tragic shooting at
Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.
The Senate proceeded to consider the resolution.
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I rise in support of the resolution and
to express my deepest, heartfelt sympathy for the families of the
victims of Columbine High School shootings.
At a time like this, words seem to lose their meaning, and there is
little that we can say to adequately express our regret and sorrow.
There is no way to explain the senseless violence that claimed the
lives of the students and teacher in Littleton, and we struggle to
understand and explain the inexplicable.
Schools are supposed to be safe havens where teenagers--children--are
supposed to grow and learn, not plot to murder their peers. What
happened in Colorado simply defies explanation or comprehension. During
trying times like this, we must fall back on our faith. Our faith in
God, and family, and community. Our beliefs have been shaken, and we
must rely on each other and trust that the Lord will help see us
through the confusing darkness that has descended on our Nation after
this terrible catastrophe.
A similar tragedy occurred at a high school in Paducah less than a
year and a half ago. Unfortunately, this is an experience that we in
Kentucky have been through and we grieve with our friends in Colorado.
The children of Colorado and their families will continue to be in our
thoughts and prayers.
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the
resolution.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the concurrent
resolution. The yeas and nays have been ordered. The clerk will call
the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
Mr. REID. I announce that the Senator from New York (Mr. Moynihan) is
absent due to surgery.
I further announce that, if present and voting, the Senator from New
York (Mr. Moynihan) would vote ``aye.''
The result was announced--99 yeas, 0 nays, as follows:
[Rollcall Vote No. 92 Leg.]
YEAS--99
Abraham
Akaka
Allard
Ashcroft
Baucus
Bayh
Bennett
Biden
Bingaman
Bond
Boxer
Breaux
Brownback
Bryan
Bunning
[[Page S4247]]
Burns
Byrd
Campbell
Chafee
Cleland
Cochran
Collins
Conrad
Coverdell
Craig
Crapo
Daschle
DeWine
Dodd
Domenici
Dorgan
Durbin
Edwards
Enzi
Feingold
Feinstein
Fitzgerald
Frist
Gorton
Graham
Gramm
Grams
Grassley
Gregg
Hagel
Harkin
Hatch
Helms
Hollings
Hutchinson
Hutchison
Inhofe
Inouye
Jeffords
Johnson
Kennedy
Kerrey
Kerry
Kohl
Kyl
Landrieu
Lautenberg
Leahy
Levin
Lieberman
Lincoln
Lott
Lugar
Mack
McCain
McConnell
Mikulski
Murkowski
Murray
Nickles
Reed
Reid
Robb
Roberts
Rockefeller
Roth
Santorum
Sarbanes
Schumer
Sessions
Shelby
Smith (NH)
Smith (OR)
Snowe
Specter
Stevens
Thomas
Thompson
Thurmond
Torricelli
Voinovich
Warner
Wellstone
Wyden
NOT VOTING--1
Moynihan
The concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 92) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote, and I move
to lay that motion on the table.
The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.
____________________