[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 34 (Monday, February 26, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H1248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION

  (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, no one should experience what the students 
of Parkland, Florida, did last week. My heart breaks for that 
community, for the lives of the lost, for those who were injured, and 
for the families that were affected. No family should ever have to bury 
a child because of gun violence in school.
  Mr. Speaker, we need sensible gun violence prevention legislation to 
finally begin to address these tragedies, but I want to say I cannot 
support the President's frightening proposal to put more guns in our 
Nation's schools, in our Nation's classrooms.
  I wholeheartedly agree that we must make our schools safer places for 
students to learn, but arming teachers will do just the opposite. I 
know firsthand that accidents can happen even when guns are in the 
hands of highly trained firearms experts.
  I speak from this wheelchair today because, when I was 16, a stray 
bullet hit my spine and left me paralyzed. This was at the hands of two 
weapons experts on the police SWAT team. My accident occurred as a 
police cadet in the police department among trained experts. Just 
imagine what could happen in a school filled with children with people 
who are handling firearms who are not as well trained.
  Mr. Speaker, we must do more to keep our students safe. More guns 
around them is not the answer.

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