[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 76 (Tuesday, May 25, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H3509-H3510]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HOUSE SHOULD VOTE ON THREE ELEMENTS OF SENATE GUN SAFETY LEGISLATION 
                      PRIOR TO MEMORIAL DAY RECESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, I too rise out of a note of optimism 
and, frankly, a little sadness, having listened to the Speaker's 
comments on the floor of this House.
  I have been in Congress only 3 years, but over the course of those 3 
years we have been attempting repeatedly to have the Republican 
leadership allow us the opportunity to vote on simple, common-sense 
approaches that will make a difference for the epidemic of gun violence 
in this country. We, in fact, know that it will make a difference.
  There are about six times that I have taken to the well of this 
Chamber after tragic shootings, not to try to take advantage of them, 
but thinking that for a moment there might be an opportunity that this 
would touch the conscience of the people who control what the Members 
of this body will be able to vote upon.
  Nine times since I have been in Congress there have been multiple 
shooting deaths on school campuses around this country. One of them, 
tragically, was in my State of Oregon. I do not know how anybody who 
looks in the eyes of the families who have suffered this tragedy, who 
have looked in their souls to realize that we have taken steps in this 
Congress to deal with things like auto safety, yet we will not take the 
same simple approach to try and make a difference to reduce the carnage 
from gun violence for young people.
  The concept of a livable community, from where I sit, is what the 
Federal Government is about. It ought to be a partnership with State 
governments, local governments, with the local communities, school 
districts, to try to make sure that when children go out the door in 
the morning that they are safe, that the family is economically secure 
and they are healthy.
  Gun violence has a wrenching impact on all three of those factors. 
The economic costs are staggering, costing billions of dollars each 
year for the thousands who are dead and maimed, victimized directly and 
indirectly. It has a significant impact in terms of public safety and 
crime, and it certainly makes a difference in terms of people's sense 
of security.
  In the last Congress we pleaded just to act on the child access 
protection legislation. Give us a chance to vote on it. Fifteen States 
have enacted it, including the State of Florida, the home State of the 
Chair of the Subcommittee on Violence, and it has made a difference in 
terms of making children safer.
  I would think that, at a minimum, the Members of this body ought to 
come forward and demand that we vote at least on the three elements 
that are in the Senate legislation, pass those things out today, make 
that progress real; then we can come back after the recess and deal 
with the Speaker's more deliberative approach on a longer-range term.
  We have legislation introduced by the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. 
McCarthy) that a number of people on both sides of the aisle, 
Republicans and Democrats, people of conscience, have signed that could 
be the vehicle that would deal comprehensively with these concerns.
  I have legislation that I will be advancing that deals with making 
sure that the Product Safety Commission spends as much attention with 
real guns as it does with toy guns; that we would extend the 
prohibition against criminals having access to weapons under the Brady 
bill to others who have demonstrated a consistent pattern of violent 
behavior. This is overwhelmingly supported by the American public.
  And last, but not least, that the Federal Government become a leader 
in personalizing guns to make sure that, for example, they cannot be 
used, the law enforcement service revolvers cannot be used against that 
man or woman in uniform. The Federal Government has a chance to make a 
huge difference in advancing this technology.

[[Page H3510]]

  I find it a little ironic that the Speaker takes to the well of this 
Chamber urging caution and arguing against extraneous riders when we 
just passed an absolute abomination of a spending bill that was 
supposedly for the defense of our troops in Kosovo and, instead, 
included everything from reindeer to mining regulations. When it comes 
to special interests, we are willing to make exceptions, but not when 
it comes to our children.
  I think our children ought to be the special interests. We ought to 
come forward with comprehensive legislation and we ought to do it now.

                          ____________________