[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 80 (Thursday, June 22, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S5652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              GUN VIOLENCE

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr President, I rise today to speak about the tragedy that 
is gun violence.
  On May 21, 1998, 15 year-old Kip Kinkel walked into Thurston High 
School in Springfield, OR and opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle in 
a crowded cafeteria, killing two classmates and wounding two others. 
Kinkel had been arrested the day before the shooting for bringing a gun 
to school. However, police decided that he was not a threat and 
released him to his parents. The next morning, Kip Kinkel shot his 
parents to death at home before he went to school and opened fire on 
his classmates.
  The entire state of Oregon went into shock. The Mayor of Springfield 
called upon lawmakers to institute a mandatory detention period for 
students caught bringing guns to school. In response, Senator Gordon 
Smith and I introduced S. 2169, a bill that would provide a 25 percent 
increase in juvenile justice prevention funds to those states that 
implemented a 72-hour detention period for any student who brought a 
gun to school.
  The idea behind the bill is straightforward. If a student brings a 
gun to school, he or she must be removed from the school and moved to a 
secure place where the student can be evaluated and the community 
protected.
  A month later, on July 23, 1999 Senator Smith and I offered a 
modified version of S. 2169 as an amendment to the Senate Commerce-
Justice-State Appropriations bill. The ``24 Hour Rapid Response for 
Kids who Bring a Gun to School,'' amendment passed unanimously. 
Unfortunately, conservative House members, with close ties to the 
National Rifle Association, objected to any so called ``gun measures'' 
on the bill, and the amendment was removed.
  On May 19, 1999, Senators Smith, Hatch, and I teamed up to offer a 
revised version of the 24-hour Rapid Response amendment to S. 254, the 
Juvenile Justice bill. The amendment was accepted by the bill managers. 
Sadly, the bill has languished in the Conference Committee since that 
time.
  Consequently, I have offered the 24-hour Rapid Response amendment on 
S. 1134, the Education Savings Act and S. 2, the Educational 
Opportunities Act, and will continue to offer it until such time that 
schools are safe for all our children. This is not about guns. It's 
about safety.
  Since this amendment has not been enacted and because the legislation 
that would give law enforcement the tools to stop gun violence have 
been stalled, I come to the floor today to continue reading the names 
of those who fallen to gun violence.
  Following are the names of some of the people who were killed by 
gunfire one year ago today, June 22, 1999:

       Sean Atkins, 33, Baltimore, MD; Cedric Biglow, 22, Oklahoma 
     City, OK; Michael A. Clifton, 35, Chicago, IL; Dredunn 
     Cooper, 20, Houston, TX; Max Johnson, 28, Dallas, TX; Willie 
     Ray Lewis, 23, New Orleans, LA; Rico Mosley, 19, Atlanta, GA; 
     Richard Neely, 75, Chicago, IL; James Edward Shea, 75, Cape 
     Coral, FL; Steve Taylor, 25, Philadelphia, PA; Joel A. 
     Thompson, 20, Chicago, IL; Michael Williams, Atlanta, GA; 
     Marduke Jones, Detroit, MI

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