[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 33 (Wednesday, March 22, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S1586]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF JONESBORO

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, this week we remember another tragedy in 
America's history, the 2-year anniversary of the school shooting in 
Jonesboro, AR. Two years ago this Friday, the Nation watched two boys, 
ages 11 and 13, open fire on their classmates, killing four young 
people and a teacher.
  At the time the school shooting in Jonesboro had the distinction of 
being one of the Nation's bloodiest. We were stunned that two boys so 
young had so much anger in them, anger that was made deadly by access 
to more than a half a dozen guns and 3,000 rounds of ammunition. In 
1998, the pastor of a church attended by one of the four children shot 
to death in Jonesboro said:

       Nothing touches us more than when our children are hurt. 
     There's never been anything you could possibly compare this 
     to.

  He didn't know that over the next 2 years there would be school 
shootings in Georgia, Colorado, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and recently in 
my own home State of Michigan.
  Sadly, these tragedies have not convinced Congress to act to try to 
take guns out of the hands of children. In the aftermath of Columbine, 
almost a year ago, the Senate passed a juvenile justice bill with 
moderate gun safety amendments designed to reduce juvenile access to 
guns. That bill has been stuck in conference committee for months, and 
legislative proposals to prevent juvenile access to guns has been 
stymied by this Congress.
  Americans cannot understand why Congress has done nothing to prevent 
the tide of shootings in our schools and public places. Americans do 
not believe the National Rifle Association's rhetoric--the argument 
that guns don't kill people, people kill people. They are absolutely 
and utterly appalled by the most recent statement of the NRA that the 
President is ``willing to accept a certain level of killing to further 
his political agenda.''
  I believe the NRA owes an apology to the American people for those 
incendiary comments by Wayne LaPierre, its executive vice president. 
His words represent the lowest level of personal attack that has been 
hurled against any President that I can remember. They cross the line 
of acceptable political debate. There should be an outpouring of 
revulsion, not just from persons who disagree with policies supported 
by the NRA but from the NRA's own members and from those who agree with 
its positions.
  Americans may be divided on the need to pass gun-related legislation 
but are surely united when it comes to protecting the lives of our 
fellow citizens and our children.
  I yield the floor.

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