[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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