[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 41 (Wednesday, April 5, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H1825-H1826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              SHOOTING IN MOUNT MORRIS TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Barcia) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the tragic 
shooting that occurred in Mount Morris Township, which is located in my 
congressional district. When I first heard about the shooting of Kayla 
Rolland, like most of the Nation, I was shocked, dismayed, and 
concerned about how such a tragedy could occur.
  Unfortunately, some people rushed to judgment and called for more gun 
control laws, more swift punishment of the child. However, I thought it 
best and prudent that we look at all the facts before commenting or 
jumping to conclusions on this very terrible tragedy.
  For me, the real problem is that we had a neglected little boy 
growing up in a dysfunctional and dangerous environment. The real 
solution is not more gun control.
  When the boy was 2 years old his father, Dedric Owens was arrested 
and for the next 4 years he moved in and out of various detention 
facilities for various crimes. So the man who should have been a role 
model, who should have taught him responsibility, who should have 
taught him right from wrong, was serving time for attempted home 
invasion, cocaine possession, cocaine possession with intent to 
distribute, and fleeing and eluding police.
  While the father was serving these sentences, the boy's mother was 
neglecting her parental responsibilities. Children need positive role 
models to build strong, moral character. With his father in jail and 
his mother missing in action, this 6-year-old boy did not have a 
positive role model, and he did not have a chance.
  Since the boy's mother was evicted from her home, she dropped her son 
off

[[Page H1826]]

at an uncle's house. At this house the boy did not have a bed. He slept 
on the couch. He did not have toys, but he did find a role model. In 
fact, he found two role models, the uncle and the uncle's partner in 
crime, both of whom had outstanding warrants and both of whom were 
suspected drug dealers.
  The house they lived in was a suspected crack house with more than 40 
sales per day conducted at all hours of day and the night. Neighbors 
claimed they heard gunshots at night; and police were building a case 
against the owners, but had not yet made any arrests. So we had a 
little boy living in a crack house with no bed, no father, no mother 
and two drug dealers as his role models.
  At school, the boy was displaying the effects of his confused and 
tormented childhood. He was suspended for fighting, and in one instance 
even stabbed another child in the neck with a pencil. The school 
identified him as potentially violent and scheduled him to see a 
psychologist, but the appointment was scheduled for one week too late. 
Even though everyone knew this child was in trouble, no one bothered to 
go to his house, no one bothered to help him.
  That is the true failure here. It is not guns or not enough 
restrictions on second amendment rights. The true failure was this 
little boy falling through the cracks of a system that let him down. 
His role model stole guns or maybe traded drugs for stolen guns, no one 
is quite sure. But we are quite sure that the boy was taught that 
violence, not words, was the way to solve problems. One neighbor 
remembers the uncle threatening to shoot up his house while holding the 
little boy in his lap.
  Sadly, many of the remedies that people have pointed to would have 
done nothing to change the outcome of this tragic event.
  This little boy with one parent in jail and the other reported drug 
user was living with two drug dealers who threatened their neighbors 
and traded in stolen guns, and in the meantime he was watching the 
violence that is so rampant on today's television. All of this was 
going on while he was in his most impressionable formative years. He 
had yet to learn right from wrong, and no one cared to teach him. The 
result was almost predictable. So anyone who claims that a trigger 
lock, a storage law, or any law at all would have prevented this 
tragedy is simply wrong.
  What would have prevented this tragedy? That is a good question. The 
only thing that would have prevented this tragic event is if this 
innocent child had two loving parents. Only when violent repeat 
offenders are incarcerated and away from our children will this type of 
crime be prevented. The need here is not for unenforceable mandates, 
the need is for real solutions to violence. Let us work together to 
find ways to strengthen families and help parents teach their children 
right from wrong.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on all of my colleagues to focus on the real 
solutions that will help restore and protect our families and our 
communities.

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