[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 22, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H8538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender-McDonald) is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, I am here tonight again because 
we still have not passed legislation to add direction to the issue of 
gun violence in America.
  Given that we have been plagued by gun violence in our schools across 
the country, to the most recent shootings involving Jewish children in 
Los Angeles and members of a Baptist church in Ft. Worth, Texas, it is 
clear that there is an overwhelming need for gun legislation. We have 
an opportunity as a body to address this issue.
  The juvenile justice bills from the House and Senate which are 
currently in conference committee can provide the American public with 
the action they deserve on this critical issue.
  I urge my colleagues to support my bill, which would require child 
safety locks on handguns, a bill which would require all sellers at gun 
shows, flea markets, and other weapon markets to run an instant 
background check on every one of their purchasers, and a bill which 
would close the loophole in the Brady law which would prevent felons 
from acquiring guns. We should also raise the handgun purchase age from 
18 to 21 to effectively protect our children.
  Mr. Speaker, events around the country illustrate the need for these 
changes in our laws to be enacted. Thirteen children under the age of 
19 are killed each day because of guns. In 1996 alone, 4,643 young 
people were killed by firearms. Guns cause one in four deaths of 
teenagers age 15 to 19. Firearms are the fourth leading cause of 
accidental death among children ages 5 to 14.
  Each year gun violence is getting worse. From 1984 to 1994, the 
firearms homicide rate for 15- to 18-year-olds increased over 200 
percent, while the non-firearm homicide death rate decreased 12.8 
percent.
  How many more shootings, Mr. Speaker, must occur before this body 
will take substantive action? How many more children must be 
slaughtered by guns before we pass laws to protect them? Is it 
necessary for every congressional district within each State to 
experience some traumatic, violent event before we act on the issue of 
gun violence?
  Gun violence affects all Americans regardless of age, class, 
religion, or socio-economic status. Many countries around the world do 
not have the same level of gun violence as the United States. This is a 
problem that has a clear solution, legislation to stem the tide of 
violence that has plagued us as a Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, in my State of California alone, the number of incidents 
of gun violence over the course of 10 years is unacceptable.
  In Berkeley, Kenzo Dix was gunned down by a 14-year-old schoolmate 
when he was accidentally shot when the two were playing with a pistol. 
In Los Angeles, a 14-year-old boy was accidentally shot in the head and 
killed by a friend showing off his father's handgun. In Oceanside, 4-
year-old Christopher David Holt unintentionally shot and killed himself 
with a .357 Magnum revolver he discovered in a concealed compartment at 
the head of his grandfather's bed.
  Of the 5,000 children who die each year because of guns, which 
averages out to 13 per day, nearly 500 deaths are accidental.
  My child safety lock act, Mr. Speaker, which I introduced in the 
105th and 106th Congress, would have prohibited any person from 
transferring or selling a firearm in the United States unless it is 
sold with a child safety lock. This bill and other legislation 
currently in the conference committee will address this issue.
  We must have the ability to cross party lines, Mr. Speaker, forget 
our political and ideological differences, and pass legislation to 
avoid the continued senseless bloodshed and loss of innocent lives 
around our country.
  I urge my colleagues to support legislation which will create a safer 
environment for all Americans and preserve the future of our children.

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