[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 30 (Thursday, March 8, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2066-S2067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECENT SCHOOL SHOOTINGS

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, earlier this week, the community of Santee, 
CA was struck by a horrible tragedy when a student opened fire on his 
classmates at Santana High School. Two people were killed and 13 others 
were wounded in the worst episode of school violence since the mass 
shooting in Littleton, CO almost 2 years ago. Although students 
returned to school yesterday, the grief over losing two of their 
classmates and the memories of what occurred will stay with them 
forever. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families 
and the people of Santee, CA as they attempt to cope with this tragedy.

[[Page S2067]]

  In an interview on Monday night, Dr. Michael Sise, the Medical 
Director for Trauma at Mercy Hospital, where three of the victims were 
treated, offered his perspective on shooting. He said, ``We wouldn't be 
here tonight talking to you if this kid, this troubled kid, hadn't had 
access to a firearm. I think we have to start asking the tough 
questions about firearms, what they mean. Firearms turn shouting 
matches into shooting matches, if those two kids in Columbine had not 
had access to firearms they would be two weird kids still wandering 
around campus, instead of dead along with a lot of dead classmates. So, 
for us in trauma we want to get out in the community and ask our fellow 
members of the community the tough questions. How do we prevent this 
from happening again?''
  The question raised by Dr. Sise is the same question that is being 
asked by people in Santee, CA and all over the country. After each of 
these shootings, we ask ourselves how we can prevent other such 
tragedies from happening in the future. One way to prevent this level 
of violence from occurring again is to make it harder for young people 
to gain access to firearms. By keeping guns out of the hands of 
children, we can help ensure that this type of deadly violence is not 
part of another child's school day.
  Since the tragedy at Santana High School just a few days ago, our 
Nation has experienced other acts of school violence. On Tuesday, not 
far from the Capitol, a 14-year-old allegedly shot another teenager at 
a Prince George's County high school. Yesterday, it was reported that 
an eighth-grader in Williamsport, PA shot and wounded one of her 
classmates, and a high school junior in Seattle, WA threatened his 
class with a handgun. The shooting at Santana High School was not an 
isolated incident and these other acts of violence should not be 
written off as ``copycat'' incidents. These acts of violence will 
continue to plague our Nation until we limit the access that young 
people have to guns.

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