[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 055 (Monday, April 7, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S4895]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          MELTING GUN VIOLENCE

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, last week the Detroit Police Department 
destroyed 5,037 guns by taking them to the Rouge Steel Company in 
Dearborn, MI, and melting them into recycled steel. Two dump trucks 
traveled under guard to deliver the weapons, which apparently included 
AK 47s, sawed off shotguns, Uzis and machine guns, from police 
headquarters to the steel plant. At the plant, steelworkers melted the 
firearms by pouring 2,600 degree molten steel over them.
  Detroit Police Chief Jerry Oliver said that taking these guns out of 
circulation will save lives. That is good news. Last year alone, 26 
children lost their lives in incidents of gun violence in Detroit. The 
Detroit Police Department has been working hard to reduce gun violence 
in the city. And every gun that's taken off the street helps make this 
job a little bit easier.
  The fight to reduce gun violence must be waged on many fronts. We 
need to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, prevent children from 
gaining access to firearms, and give law enforcement the resources they 
need to thoroughly investigate gun-related crimes. At the same time, we 
have to vigorously prosecute criminals who commit gun-related crimes.
  We in the Senate should take up and pass common sense gun safety 
legislation. And we need to provide adequate resources to police 
departments. Unfortunately, we are fighting an uphill battle. Common 
sense gun safety legislation is blocked by the National Rifle 
Association and its allies. The President's budget proposes massive 
cuts to COPs and other critical law enforcement programs. And Attorney 
General Ashcroft, while indicating the Bush Administration's support 
for the current ban on assault weapons, recently refused to support 
reauthorization of the ban.
  Melting those guns in Dearborn last week was a welcome event for all 
of us who care about reducing gun violence. But it would surely have 
been better if those guns had never made it onto the street in the 
first place. Absent adequate funding for police departments and the 
passage of common sense legislation to keep guns out of the hands of 
criminals, I fear that truckloads of guns will remain on our streets, 
in the hands of criminals, threatening our communities. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in working to restore funding for COPs, close the 
gun show loophole, and reauthorize the assault weapons ban this year.

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