[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 47 (Monday, March 19, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H1656-H1657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GUN SAFETY PROVISIONS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciated the presentation from my
friend from Pennsylvania. I could not agree more that it is time for us
to come forward with action.
It was my honor this morning to address the Council of the Great City
Schools, who are gathered in our Nation's Capitol--board members,
superintendents, dealing with the challenges of education. And they are
standing in solidarity with the young people who have raised their
voices calling upon Congress to finally act.
One of the things that is deeply troubling is that the Republican
leadership refuses to allow a robust debate and action on the floor of
the House. There are dozens of provisions that we can come together,
produce majorities, enact legislation that will protect children's
lives.
Mr. Speaker, the Council of the Great City Schools had a resolution
calling upon us to take action that I include in the Record.
Resolution
Council of the Great City Schools, Relating to School Shootings in the
United States
WHEREAS, the Bylaws of the Council of the Great City
Schools assign the Board of Directors all powers and duties
necessary to define the policies and positions of the
organization and state that the Board may conduct acts in
furtherance of those polices, except where the organization
is prohibited from doing so by law or other governing
documents;
WHEREAS, there is a need for the nation's major city school
systems to express their positions on school safety matters
that affect its students and the children residing in its
cities;
WHEREAS, thousands of our students have publicly expressed
concern for their safety
[[Page H1657]]
and well-being and have indicated that policymakers should
act immediately to protect them in school and beyond;
WHEREAS, the leaders of the nation's major city public
school systems respect the concerns of their students, and
support the growing civic and social participation of high
school students that was inspired by recent events;
WHEREAS, since the school shooting in Columbine in 1999,
there have been numerous other school shootings, including
those in Red Lake (MN), Lancaster (PA), Blacksburg (VA),
Chardon (OH), Cleveland (OH), Sandy Hook (CT), Broward County
(FL), and many others that have taken scores of young lives;
WHEREAS, too many of our young people are shot and killed
on the streets of our major cities almost every day;
WHEREAS, Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed
with a gun than people in other developed countries;
WHEREAS, Americans make up about 4.4 percent of the world's
population but own some 42 percent of the world's guns;
WHEREAS, assault weapons have no place in society and other
types of guns are too easily obtained;
WHEREAS, teachers are not trained law enforcement officers,
and should not be asked or incentivized to keep weapons
accessible in their classrooms;
WHEREAS, there is no reason based on any viable research to
suggest that adding guns into a school setting or arming
teachers would prevent these acts of violence;
WHEREAS, schools across the country need considerable
additional resources to plan for the possibility of such acts
of violence, coordinate with law enforcement, and secure
their buildings from intruders;
WHEREAS, many schools lack the mental health counselors,
psychologists, and social workers they need to identify and
work with students showing warning signs for depression and
violence;
WHEREAS, the nation's data collection on gun violence and
gun ownership is inadequate to monitor, understand, or
prevent these events from happening; and
WHEREAS, the multiple school shootings that the nation has
witnessed over the years have complex causes requiring
multiple solutions.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the
Great City Schools, its member districts, and staff stand
with the students of Broward County Public Schools and the
nation in demanding effective and comprehensive action from
the federal government to protect schoolchildren;
NOW, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the Great
City Schools calls on the Congress of the United States to
ban the sale, purchase, possession, and use of assault
weapons and large-capacity ammunition cartridges, except
those needed by the military and law enforcement;
NOW, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the Great
City Schools calls on the Congress of the United States to
require and strengthen universal background checks to possess
any type of firearm;
NOW, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the Great
City Schools calls on the President of the United States to
charge all agencies of the federal government with the task
of reducing the number of gun-related injuries and deaths in
America.
NOW, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the Great
City Schools is opposed to the arming of teachers to protect
schools and children;
NOW, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the Great
City Schools calls on the Congress of the United States to
extend the perimeter of Gun-Free School Zones;
NOW, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the Great
City Schools calls on the Congress of the United States to
appropriate adequate new funds to allow school districts
across the nation to plan and coordinate school security
efforts with law enforcement officials and make other
building alterations that may be necessary to protect
students, teachers, and staff;
NOW, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the Great
City Schools calls on the Congress of the United States to
appropriate adequate new funds to increase the numbers of
counselors, mental health staff, psychologists, and social
workers in our schools;
NOW, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the Great
City Schools calls on the Congress of the United States to
appropriate adequate new funds for programs to educate
students and their families on the dangers of firearms; and
NOW, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the Great
City Schools calls on the Congress of the United States to
require that states and the federal government collect
whatever data necessary to track, monitor, understand, and
prevent the extent of gun violence in America.
Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, we find that areas that have acted, in
the aftermath of gun violence, to increase protections for gun safety
actually makes a difference. It is a lie that gun safety provisions
make no difference; that, somehow, people who are intent on slaughter
will not behave according to the law, they won't obey it; it will have
no impact.
The evidence is that where actions are taken to reduce gun violence,
to increase protections, to take guns away from people who shouldn't
have them, gun violence is reduced.
In the aftermath of Sandy Hook, when this Congress was paralyzed,
refused to allow a bipartisan legislation that would have increased
universal background checks, for instance, the State of Connecticut
acted. And over the years, they have enacted a series of provisions on
gun safety that have resulted in reduced gun violence.
Indeed, the States with the fewest gun safety protections, some no
protections at all, have the highest rates of gun violence.
{time} 1215
We don't have to fall victim to that type of thinking.
The Council of the Great City Schools pointed out in their resolution
that Americans are 25 times more likely to be killed with a gun than
people in other developed countries. They reject the proposition that
we have to be the only developed country that cannot protect our
families from gun violence.
They recognize that there is no place to arm teachers in response.
There is no evidence that having teachers packing heat would make any
difference at all. What it would do is add another layer of
uncertainty, and more guns in schools increases the likelihood that
they will be used.
They categorically reject the arming of teachers, but say move
forward, remove the ability of people to purchase high-capacity
automatic weapons, tighten background checks, and make it easier to do
research on gun violence--which this Congress has tried to make
illegal.
Mr. Speaker, I am hopeful that we will not have the Republican
leadership continue to deny us an opportunity to fully debate the
proposals that are circulating on a bipartisan basis that would make a
difference dealing with background checks, dealing with taking guns
away from people who shouldn't have them; making sure that we are
reducing the access to some of the most destructive military weapons
that have no place circulating in society, that children not old
enough, young men not old enough to buy a beer can buy an AK-47. That
is wrong.
Mr. Speaker, I hope that people's hearts and minds will be touched by
the eloquence that we have heard from these young people in Florida who
have endured it, who have put pressure on the Florida Legislature to
act. I hope we can do the same.
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