[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 21, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1529-S1531]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION

  Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise now in strong support of a 
resolution offered by my colleague, Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island. 
At the same time, I commend him for all of his hard work in support of 
gun safety measures.
  We are soon approaching an anniversary. Most anniversaries have a 
happy ring to them--wedding anniversaries, birthdays are often called 
an anniversary. Those are pleasant moments. But the anniversary we are 
talking about now is one we will remember for decades to come. It is 
the anniversary of a mammoth American tragedy.
  It is only 31 days until April 20, 2000, the 1-year anniversary of 
the terrible tragedy at Columbine High School in Colorado. We all 
remember that awful day almost a year ago. Across the Nation, people 
saw and heard the shocking news reports. Two students had stormed into 
their school and systematically shot and killed 12 classmates and a 
teacher. They also wounded 23 other students and teachers.
  It makes me shudder when I recall the bloody carnage of that day. I 
had to shake my head in disbelief that this outrage could be committed 
in a school. No parent and no grandparent could avoid thanking goodness 
for the safety of their own families when they saw the horrors of those 
moments.

[[Page S1530]]

 Those innocent, young people, full of life, running, scared, 
desperate, trying to get away from the gunmen--the image of the young 
man hanging out of the window trying to reach safety.
  We thought that incident, that tragedy, would finally wake up 
Congress. That Congress would say: Let's end this; let's do what we can 
to stop this. And here, almost a year later, since that tragic moment, 
the American people have an obligation and a right to ask: What has 
Congress done to prevent another tragedy? How has Congress answered the 
cries and pleading of parents and grandparents who want to protect 
their children? What has Congress done to protect other families from 
gun violence? I ask the question and I will give the answer: Absolutely 
nothing. And it is a disgrace.
  I and some of my colleagues have tried. During the debate on the 
juvenile justice bill, the Senate passed several gun safety measures, 
including my amendment to require criminal background checks at gun 
shows. It was a very close vote, a 50-50 tie. The Vice President, in 
his role as President of the Senate, came in to break the tie. And with 
that vote the Senate passed my measure to require background checks at 
gun shows. But still Congress has not completed action on that 
legislation, despite the support of organizations that we all know and 
agree with when it comes to law enforcement, groups endorsing the 
Senate-passed gun safety amendments, such as the International 
Association of Chiefs of Police, the International Brotherhood of 
Police Officers, Police Executive Research Forum, Police Foundation, 
Major Cities Chiefs, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, and 
others. They all ask why we can't do something about controlling gun 
violence in our society.
  We tried. I remind my colleagues that the gun show loophole amendment 
had bipartisan support. I was pleased to have that support from our 
friends on the other side of the aisle, people such as Senators DeWine, 
Fitzgerald, Lugar, Voinovich, Warner, and Chafee, who is no longer with 
us. They all voted for my amendment.
  And the juvenile justice bill, with the gun safety amendments, passed 
by a vote of 73-25. So there was strong, bipartisan support for moving 
forward on juvenile crime and trying to reduce gun violence. But that 
was back on May 20 of last year, 10 months ago. We have to look at what 
has happened since then.

  The shootings haven't stopped. Most recently, there was a 6-year-old 
shot by a classmate in Michigan. There was another shooting spree near 
Pittsburgh, where five people were shot and three died when a gunman 
opened fire on a McDonald's and a Burger King.
  There have been more shootings, from Fort Gibson, OK, to Los Angeles, 
CA, where a gunman opened fire at a daycare center. We all remember the 
little children being led from a day school--holding a policeman's 
hands. They were being led away from someone who would later kill a 
postal worker because he had a different complexion than the killer. 
And there was also Fort Worth, TX, where young people at a prayer 
meeting were assaulted by a gunman. It has been one shooting after 
another. And these tragedies demonstrate that unless all communities 
are safe from gun violence, no community is safe from gun violence.
  But while the vast majority of Americans want Congress to act, there 
is one special interest that says, no, the status quo is more than 
enough. The National Rifle Association has worked with its allies in 
this body and in the House of Representatives to block legislation 
every time it comes up. The same old reaction. Every time Congress 
wants to pass gun safety laws, the NRA calls on its friends to prevent 
progress.
  Recent statements from the NRA show how desperate and extremist they 
have become. A man named Wayne LaPierre, the NRA executive vice 
president, attacked President Bill Clinton. He said that President 
Clinton was ``willing to accept a certain level of killing to further 
his political agenda.'' That comment is outrageous, insulting, 
reckless, and irresponsible. But Mr. LaPierre didn't stop there. He 
also accused President Clinton of having ``blood on his hands'' because 
of the shooting of the basketball coach, Ricky Byrdsong. Just when you 
thought the NRA could not go any lower, they managed to do it.
  The NRA is so wrong because, in that case, it was the State 
authorities who failed to pursue and prosecute Ricky Byrdsong's killer 
when he failed the background check. These painful comments are an 
outrage, and Mr. LaPierre and the whole organization, the NRA, ought to 
apologize to Mrs. Byrdsong.
  The NRA is out of touch with the American people. Look at the polls. 
There is overwhelming support for common sense gun safety measures. The 
American people are pleading with Congress to reduce gun violence. And 
they want to close the gun show loophole that permits unidentified 
buyers from getting guns without a background check. If you have money 
in your pocket, you can walk out with a gun at your waist. You could be 
one of the 10 most wanted criminals in all America, or one of the 
terrorists from abroad whose names have become legendary, and you could 
buy guns at these gun shows from unlicensed dealers--no questions 
asked. Who are you? What is your name? Where do you live? Have you had 
a bad record? No, not one question is asked.
  But the NRA attacks are nothing new. They constantly spout careless 
rhetoric. Some of my colleagues, and many other people, will remember 
when the NRA went after Federal law enforcement officials, calling them 
``jack-booted thugs.'' That comment resulted in President Bush's 
resignation from the NRA.
  Now we have heard--I listened to it myself on a recent TV broadcast--
Charlton Heston, who ought to know better, defending the reckless 
attacks on President Clinton. And on the NRA web site you even see more 
rhetoric about the Holocaust that took 6 million people to their death. 
It says that if the Jews had their weapons with them, it would not have 
happened. What an outrageous and insulting thing to say. Six million 
Jews were put in gas chambers, put in trains, and systematically 
killed. The entire Nazi government and communities across Europe--
scientists, doctors, and teachers, all organized to put these people 
and 8 million more to their death. The NRA drops a casual remark like 
that and says maybe if they were allowed to carry weapons, or if they 
didn't have them taken away from them, they could have saved 
themselves. They are talking about kids who were 6 years old and babies 
who were thrown from trucks. They could have prevented it if they only 
had a chance to continue owning weapons.

  While that rhetoric is the most outrageous, there is more phony 
rhetoric coming from the NRA. The NRA says that all we need to do is 
enforce the laws we have on the books. Another outrageous, loose 
statement. The argument ignores the fact that the number of Federal 
firearms cases prosecuted by U.S. attorneys increased 25 percent, from 
4,754 in 1992 to 5,500 in 1999.
  So the NRA's suggestion that law enforcement is not fighting gun 
crimes is just false rhetoric. They will say anything they want to if 
they feel it can help make their case. But they are not convincing the 
American people that everybody who wants to have a gun should get it in 
minutes. They say that 24 hours is more than enough time. But the FBI 
is trying to track down people who escaped the requirement for a 
thorough background check because there wasn't enough time to get it 
done. During the first year of the National Instant Criminal Background 
Check System, there were 3,849 occasions where three business days went 
by and the gun transfer had to be allowed, but the FBI later received 
information that the transfer was to a prohibited person. In other 
words, even three business days is not long enough.
  And the NRA rhetoric also completely misses the point when it comes 
to gun shows. The problem with gun shows is there is no law to enforce. 
There is one giant loophole.
  As I said earlier, someone on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list can go 
to a gun show and buy a firearm from a nonlicensed dealer with no 
questions asked. The only questions are: How many guns do you want and 
do you have the money? That is the transaction. It is as simple as 
that--handguns, assault weapons, you name it; all kinds. This isn't an 
enforcement issue. There is no background check requirement to enforce.
  The NRA and its friends are out of touch with the American people. 
Even

[[Page S1531]]

a major gun manufacturer, Smith & Wesson, said we need to do more on 
gun safety. The company reached an agreement with the Administration 
that will incorporate many of the measures stalled in the conference 
committee on juvenile justice--background checks at gun shows, child 
safety locks, and preventing the use of ammunition clips with more than 
ten rounds.
  For the benefit of those who do not work around here, a conference 
committee is comprised of a committee of the Senate and a committee of 
the House, both with jurisdiction over particular issues. They sit down 
and hammer out differences in legislation. The conference committee on 
the juvenile justice bill has met just once, in August of last year. It 
has done nothing for months because the NRA and its friends--some of 
them here and some of them across the Capitol in the House--don't want 
any gun safety measures to pass Congress.
  Despite that, the American people are demanding something be done. We 
have to move this conference. We want background checks at gun shows. 
We want child safety locks. We want to prevent the use of ammunition 
clips with more than 10 rounds. It is ridiculous that Congress is 
behind gun manufacturers on gun safety.
  We want to stop the phony rhetoric and get on with the job. And the 
American people should remind their Senators and their Congresspeople 
that they are demanding safety from guns for their children, their 
households, and their families.
  I hope the word goes out across this country that there is time now 
to start making changes to reduce gun violence. We ought to get on with 
the job. We have to stop the verbal attacks on law enforcement. We have 
to stop the excuses. The conference committee should complete its job. 
The American people should demand nothing less.
  I support Senator Reed's resolution and I hope many of my colleagues 
will vote for it. And we must show the American people that we have the 
backbone and the spine in this body to stand up to the NRA and campaign 
contributions from its political action committee.
  Listen to the voices of the American people. Listen to the cries of 
anguished parents who run to the schoolhouse hoping their child was not 
one of those who are listed as dead or wounded. Listen to the mothers 
who will march to Washington on Mother's Day--there may be a million 
rallying across the country--and say: for God's sake, please help me 
protect my child from violence. There is no more important or urgent 
plea than that. It must get through these walls. The American people 
can't understand Congress' failure to pass gun safety measures. I can't 
understand it and I work here every day.
  We must complete action on gun safety before April 20, 2000, the one 
year anniversary of the tragedy at Columbine High school. We cannot 
allow a year to pass with nothing done except people visiting 
cemeteries to see where their children are buried.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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