[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 139 (Thursday, October 27, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S12003]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     YOUNG PEOPLE AND GUN VIOLENCE

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, last Thursday, in the midst of National 
Safe Schools Week, a student was nearly shot to death inside a Michigan 
high school. This tragic incident further underscores the need to do 
more to combat youth violence, especially gun violence.
  According to published newspaper reports of the shooting, around noon 
last Thursday, a tenth grade student fired as many as three shots at 
another student in a crowded high school hallway. The 15-year-old 
victim was struck once in the chest by a .380 caliber bullet, which 
missed his heart by less than an inch. Fortunately, he is expected to 
live.
  The suspect, who is also 15 years old, allegedly used a stolen .380 
caliber pistol in the shooting and now faces life in prison after being 
charged as an adult. Reportedly, the suspect also has a previous 
conviction involving a firearm violation. The shooting last Thursday 
came less than a month after two other students were injured in a 
drive-by shooting outside the same high school. Unfortunately, youth 
gun violence continues to threaten communities, destroy families, and 
change the lives of too many young people forever.
  Only a day before last Thursday's shooting, thousands of young people 
across the country observed a Day of National Concern About Young 
People and Gun Violence, which was designed to empower children and 
teenagers to do what they can to eliminate gun violence in their 
communities. In many communities, students were given the opportunity 
to sign a voluntary pledge against gun violence. Since the first Day of 
National Concern About Young People and Gun Violence in 1996, more than 
7 million students have signed the pledge. Here is what the pledge 
says:

       I will never bring a gun to school; I will never use a gun 
     to settle a dispute; I will use my influence with my friends 
     to keep them from using guns to settle disputes. My 
     individual choices and actions, when multiplied by those of 
     young people throughout the country, will make a difference. 
     Together, by honoring this pledge, we can reverse the 
     violence and grow up in safety.

  I applaud the organizers and students who participated in this year's 
Day of National Concern About Young People and Gun Violence for their 
efforts to reduce gun violence. The thousands of students who signed 
the pledge this year, and the millions before them, have promised to do 
what they can to prevent tragedies like last week's school shooting in 
Michigan. Congress should do its part by adequately funding important 
law enforcement programs and by passing commonsense gun safety 
legislation.

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