[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13588]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 13588]]

               COMMONSENSE MEASURES TO CURB GUN VIOLENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Ehrlich) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. EHRLICH. Mr. Speaker, just a few thoughts on the events taking 
place on the floor in the last few days.
  Mr. Speaker, I and most of us support the rights of law-abiding 
citizens to possess guns for a variety of reasons, not the least of 
which is self-defense. This view derives from my observation that many 
gun control initiatives have proven a failure in reducing crime.
  For example, in the case of the Colorado shootings, the two criminals 
responsible for the carnage broke 19 State and Federal laws in the 
preparation and commission of those crimes.
  Some of my constituents have written to me about gun control 
proposals which seek to limit gun owners to purchasing one gun a month 
and a minimum 3-day waiting period. Previously, waiting periods were 
necessary in order to allow for background checks to be completed. The 
passage of the Brady bill in 1994 brought new computerized national and 
local criminal arrest records. The criminal background of a potential 
gun purchaser can now be verified in a matter of minutes through the 
National Instant Check System, the NICS. I believe the background 
investigation as initiated through the NICS is a reasonable check on 
gun ownership rights.
  I support some new proposals brought to this floor over the past two 
days, as well. For instance, I do not believe juveniles convicted of 
serious violent crimes should be allowed to acquire guns even after 
they turn 21 years of age. I support the imposition of harsh penalties 
for adults who provide guns to juveniles with the knowledge those guns 
will be used in a crime of violence.
  I support programs which trace the source of firearms used in the 
commission of a crime. Convicted felons found in the possession of any 
gun should be punished severely, with mandatory minimum sentences that 
cannot be plea-bargained away.
  Further, I welcome positive changes to current law that allow current 
and former police officers to carry weapons to protect themselves and 
our communities, prohibit guns pawned for more than a year from being 
returned until the owner passes an instant check, and allow D.C. 
residents the right to protect and defend themselves and their families 
in their own homes.
  National crime statistics reflect an 18 percent decrease in violent 
crime and a 28 percent decrease in the murder rate from 1993 through 
1997. The downward trend continued through June of 1998. I attribute a 
significant percentage of this improvement to the increased use of 
mandatory sentencing for violent offenders. Accordingly, I will 
continue to insist on harsh penalties for violent criminals, 
particularly those who misuse weapons during the commission of a crime.
  Further, I call upon prosecutors everywhere to refrain from pleading 
away gun-related charges and criminal indictments. Sensible gun laws do 
work, but not when rendered meaningless by overburdened prosecutors 
more interested in moving their docket than in enforcing gun statutes.
  Mr. Speaker, in my view the primary causes of gun violence in our 
society are rather obvious. The breakdown of families and family 
values, failure to hold individuals accountable for their actions, the 
romanticizing and glorifying of drug abuse, and violent behavior and 
guns on television, at the movies, and in video arcade are all relevant 
in assigning blame for recent events pertaining to youth violence.
  Youth access to guns plays a part in the total picture, as well. 
Accordingly, I will continue to support measures restricting youth 
access to guns, criminal access to guns, and the mentally impaired and 
their access to guns.
  I will not punish responsible. Law-abiding gun owners who are often 
made scapegoats by special interests and some segments of the popular 
press, and Members are going to see a heck of a lot of that over the 
coming days.
  If gun control was the sole answer to the problem of violence in our 
country, my home State of Maryland, which has some of the strongest gun 
control laws in the country, would not have experienced an increased 
murder rate in 1998 while the national murder rate continued to fall.
  The thoughts expressed herein do not make for an easy sound bite. 
Neither do they fall neatly under one political or philosophical label. 
They state, however, the views of one Member from Maryland who seeks to 
find positive solutions to one of our society's major ills, our 
fascination with violence.

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