[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 136 (Wednesday, October 16, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10526-S10527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     ATTACKS ON THE CAPITAL REGION

  Ms. MIKULSKI. Mr. President, this past year has been a challenging 
time for residents of the capital region. First there was the September 
11 attack on the Pentagon. Then there were the anthrax attacks, and now 
a serial sniper is terrorizing the national capital region, attacking 
innocent people going about their daily lives. These attacks affect 
each and every one of us.
  Here in the capital region especially, there have been seven attacks 
in Montgomery County and in Prince George's County in my own home State 
of Maryland. The sniper has also made three attacks in Northern 
Virginia. Our friends and our neighbors have been either injured or 
killed. Our schools are now locked down. Eleven of our neighbors have 
been shot, nine people have died, two others are still fighting for 
their recovery, including a child who was shot as he walked into his 
school in the accompaniment of his aunt, a nurse.
  These senseless and brutal murders have left grieving families and 
terrified our communities. I wish to express my sympathy for the 
families of the victims. I want them to know they are not alone; that I 
am on their side and at their side; and also that the resources of the 
Federal Government are at the disposal of local government and local 
law enforcement to catch this criminal.
  We in Maryland are deeply grateful for the support of President Bush, 
who has pledged the support of every Federal agency to be at the 
disposal of local government and local law enforcement.
  I thank the Attorney General, Mr. Ashcroft, and the FBI Director, Mr. 
Mueller, for their immediate response when these attacks on our 
civilians occurred.
  This killer must be brought to justice. It is going to take 
persistence and patience. It is going to take great detective work, 
which is already underway. I want everyone to know that just like the 
manhunt is not going to go away, Federal support is not going to go 
away, and the resources are not going to go away until this criminal is 
brought to justice.
  So many of my colleagues have expressed their support. They have 
asked me how my constituents are doing. Well, let me tell everyone what 
I know about the Marylanders I so proudly represent. We Marylanders 
strongly believe when times get tough, the tough get going. We are 
unflinching in our determination to get through these attacks, to stand 
with each other, and to do all we can to support law enforcement to 
catch the criminal, to keep our businesses open, and also to make sure 
our children are safe.
  We are particularly sensitive to these issues, but our grief and 
shock must be coupled with action. Congress must respond with deeds, 
not just words. This is why I believe one of our first actions should 
be to pass something called the BLAST Act. The BLAST Act deals with 
ballistic fingerprinting. It was introduced by our colleague, Senator 
Kohl. It would keep a database that includes the fingerprint of every 
bullet and shell to enable law enforcement to solve crimes by providing 
a scientific link between gun crimes and their owners.
  Ballistic evidence has already helped us determine that these 
shootings were linked to the same killer. We now need the kind of 
legislation that just as we take fingerprints of criminals, we need to 
have the same type of fingerprinting on guns.
  I know this is controversial, but let's begin the debate. Let's move 
this legislation through the committee. I know there are issues related 
to technology, there are issues regarding those who want to tamper with 
a gun in some way, but this is the United States of America. We have 
the genius in regard to technology. Let's solve the problems by doing 
something to make ballistic fingerprinting available, reliable, and 
accurate. Let's not solve it by doing nothing and saying there are too 
many problems.

[[Page S10527]]

  My constituents want action. They want us to not only find the 
criminal, but they want us to prevent these type of deeds from being 
done again. So this is why I support the BLAST Act. I am a proud 
cosponsor and hope to vote for it in the Senate.
  Unfortunately, the sniper is not the only killer who attacked our 
region and the people living in it. One year ago today, a letter 
containing the deadly anthrax was opened in the Senate. Before that 
letter reached the Senate office building, it passed through the 
Brentwood postal facility, exposing workers to its deadly contents. On 
this anniversary, I want to express my deepest condolences to the 
families who suffered in these attacks, particularly the families of 
two postal workers who died from anthrax exposure, my two constituents, 
Joe Curseen, Jr., and Thomas Morris, Jr. Both of these men lived in 
Maryland. They were public servants. They were patriots. They died in 
the service of their country.
  I want them to know I will continue to stand sentry to make sure we 
will not forget them. America must not only remember the sacrifices 
they made and the pain felt by their families but the fact that every 
single postal worker continued to work, show up for duty, deliver the 
mail and was unflinching and unabashed in fulfilling their duty as 
postal workers.
  I was proud to join with my colleagues in the House, Representatives 
Wynn and Norton, in passing a bill to rename the Brentwood facility 
after Mr. Curseen and Mr. Morris, but I want to do more. The postal 
workers are scared. Little is known about the long-term effects of 
possible exposure to anthrax. Some are quite ill and continue to be 
ill. This is why I will be offering legislation calling on HHS to 
examine the effects of anthrax exposure on the long-term health of our 
postal workers.
  I also want to thank every Senate employee who, though we have been 
faced with anthrax, continue to keep the doors of the Senate floor 
open. Thanks to our personal staff, our professional staff, to the 
pages, to the elevator operators, everybody, we survived that attack, 
and we survived it because we stuck together. God bless them, and God 
bless America.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The time of the Senator from Maryland has 
expired.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, what is the regular order?

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