[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 47 (Thursday, April 13, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2789-S2790]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ONE YEAR OF COLUMBINE

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, one week from today, we will memorialize 
the worst school shooting tragedy in our nation's history. The very 
mention of Columbine High School strikes a nerve with the American 
public. It reminds us of a horrendous scene of children, screaming and 
running from their assailants, while SWAT-teams descended on to their 
otherwise calm neighborhood. On April 20, this year the nation will 
remember, but for the students of Columbine, those few hours of April 
20, 1999 are replayed over and over again every day in their minds.
  The survivors of Columbine revisit the massacre daily. They are 
reminded of that day by the fragments of ammunition in their bodies, or 
the scars cut deep in to their skin. When they see trenchcoats, they 
shudder, when they hear or smell fireworks, they get flashbacks. At 
such young ages, they have endured unimaginable physical and emotional 
pain. They have been poked and prodded by nurses, physicians, surgeons, 
physical, occupational and recreational therapists, and clinical 
psychologists. Some of them have found peace, others are still angry 
and frightened. A few can not tell their stories but many can tell them 
over and over again.
  For Columbine-survivor Valeen Schnurr, ``The nights are always the 
worst.'' Valeen is in college now, but Columbine is still very much 
with her. She writes, ``Inevitably, I find my thoughts drifting into 
nightmares, terrifying images of the library at Columbine High School 
on April 20, 1999. The sound of students screaming as explosives and 
gunshots echo through the school; the burning pain of the bullets 
penetrating my body; the sound of my own voice professing my faith in 
God; seeing my hands fill with my own blood; and my friend Lauren 
Townsend lying lifeless beside me as I try to wake her.''
  ``In the mornings when I look in the mirror, the scars I see on my 
arms and upper body always remind me that it's

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not just a nightmare, but the memory of a real event that will stay 
with me for the rest of my life. The scars are a part of me now, but 
they help me to remember that I've been blessed with a second chance at 
life.''
  Another survivor, Kelsey Bane, talks about how she felt on her first 
day back at Columbine. ``On August 16, 1999, a new school year began. 
Only this year, I wasn't full of excitement. Instead, I was full of 
emotions I can't describe, because I was headed back to my school--
Columbine High--for the first time since April 20. I was scared out of 
my mind, but I knew that whatever I did that day would determine the 
way I would live the rest of my life. So I went to school; I faced my 
fears and my nightmares from the past four months and got ready to 
begin a new school year.''
  Over the last year, ``[it] has gotten harder, as I expected it would. 
Sometimes I can't remember what used to occupy my thoughts, because now 
my mind is overwhelmed by these horrific experiences. Our lives will 
never be the same--and I don't think I will ever fully accept that.''
  Nicole Nowlen, who was a relatively new student when the tragedy 
occurred, wrote ``nine pieces of buckshot hit me; four exited and five 
are still inside. When school started at Chatfield High [in May], I 
wasn't physically ready, so I finished my sophomore year with a tutor 
and went back to Columbine in August.''

  ``It's been like this roller-coaster ride ever since. October and 
November got too crazy. First they arrested a kid [from Columbine] for 
making threats to finish the job. Then there was the six-month 
anniversary, and Mrs. Hochhalter [the mother of Anne Marie Hochhalter 
who was badly injured] killed herself. In all my classes, the kids 
never stopped talking about the shooting. It was depressing, so I 
decided to be home schooled.
  ``I started seeing a counselor in November . . . Things are better 
now, so I'm not going anymore. I may go again, but for now I'm at a 
good point.''
  ``What helped me the most was Gerda Weissman Klein. She's a 75-year-
old Holocaust survivor who came to speak at our school in January. 
She's really the only one who understands what happened to all of us.''
  For the students of Columbine, every day is a struggle, every day 
takes another act of courage. There is nothing we can do in Congress to 
change that, but there is something we can do to protect other students 
from the nightmares, the anger, and the pain, as told by these 
students. Congress owes it to Columbine to try to end school shootings 
and reduce access to guns among young people. As of this one-year 
anniversary, Congress has failed to do so.
  Columbine victim Valeen Schnurr wrote, ``People on the outside don't 
realize how horrible it can actually be. We're the ones who can get 
everyone motivated and involved in making changes.'' I only hope Valeen 
is right. Her story should motivate Congress to strengthen our laws and 
save the lives of America's children.
  Mr. President, 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. SESSIONS. 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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