[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 136 (Thursday, October 26, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S11123]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        VICTIMS OF GUN VIOLENCE

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, it has been more than a year since the 
Columbine tragedy, but still this Republican Congress refuses to act on 
sensible gun legislation.
  Since Columbine, thousands of Americans have been killed by gunfire. 
Until we act, Democrats in the Senate will read the names of some of 
those who have lost their lives to gun violence in the past year, and 
we will continue to do so every day that the Senate is in session.
  In the name of those who died, we will continue this fight. Following 
are the names of some of the people who were killed by gunfire one year 
ago today.
  October 26, 1999:
  Manuel Guilarte, 78, Miami-Dade County, FL;
  Damien McFarland, 25, Gary, IN;
  Willie B. Nelson, 47, Atlanta, GA;
  Sarah Petty, 49, Atlanta, GA;
  Brett Pleasants, 39, Denver, CO;
  Brenda Ray, 31, Atlanta, GA;
  Tony B. Richards, 32, Memphis, TN;
  Fernando Rodriquez, 25, Detroit, MI;
  Comer Sistrunk, Jr., 61, Cincinnati, OH;
  Ronald Turchi, 61, Philadelphia, PA;
  Tony Unk, Houston, TX;
  Michael Washington, 16, Baltimore, MD; and
  Deric West, 18, Oakland, CA.
  One of the victims of gun violence I mentioned, 31-year-old Brenda 
Ray of Atlanta, was shot and killed one year ago today while walking 
home from her sister's house with her two children. A stranger 
approached Brenda, robbed her, then shot her in the chest while her 
six-year-old son and five-year-old daughter stood by watching.
  We cannot sit back and allow such senseless gun violence to continue. 
The deaths of these people are a reminder to all of us that we need to 
enact sensible gun legislation now.

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