[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14076]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         GUN SAFETY LEGISLATION

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                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 23, 1999

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, last week, the House of 
Representatives had the opportunity to pass sensible gun safety laws to 
keep guns out of the hands of juveniles and criminals, and to make our 
communities safer--but we didn't.
  When we debated the bill, I supported the McCarthy amendment because 
it contained common sense proposals that would have closed the gun show 
loophole, banned large capacity ammunition clips and required child 
safety locks on newly purchased handguns.
  After that amendment was defeated, I voted against the final version 
of the gun bill because its background check provision would have given 
criminals the opportunity to buy guns at gun shows and it would have 
weakened our current background check laws. The final House bill would 
have made it easier for a criminal to purchase handguns, and that was 
unacceptable.
  As I have gone door-to-door talking with people and visiting schools 
in my district, there is no doubt that people overwhelmingly support 
common sense laws to keep guns out of the hands of kids and criminals. 
My constituents don't care about politics. They care about whether 
their children are going to be safe when they are at school. And as a 
father of two children in public schools, I understand their concerns.
  Those concerns were eloquently expressed in a letter I received from 
Tom Mauser, whose son Daniel was one of the students murdered at 
Columbine High School. I am attaching his letter to this statement, and 
I urge all Members of the House--particularly the leadership of the 
Judiciary Committee--to review it carefully as we move toward a 
conference with the Senate on the Juvenile Justice legislation.

       Dear Representatives Hefley, McInnis, Schaffer and Udall: I 
     am Tom Mauser, father of Columbine High School victim Daniel 
     Mauser. While I do not live in your district, as an advocate 
     for common sense gun laws I have heard from people from all 
     over Colorado through a web site I've set up in honor of my 
     son (www.danielmauser.com). These people have expressed fear 
     about the safety of their children. Many believe in common 
     sense gun laws, and though they don't speak with the 
     intensity of NRA members, I think their voices should also be 
     heard.
       I urge you to pass the Juvenile Justice bill now before the 
     House with the gun control amendments as passed by the Senate 
     intact. Please don't water them down, don't create more 
     loopholes, and don't approve poison pills that would deter 
     passage.
       There are those who think I am singularly focused on gun 
     control. No, in ALL of my public appearances I have clearly 
     stated that there are many factors that are responsible for 
     the tragedy at Columbine and other schools (lack of parental 
     oversight, lack of value placed on human life, violence in 
     the media, etc.) However, addressing these cultural factors 
     will take time. Most must be addressed by families and 
     communities, not Congress. One of the only major things 
     Congress can do is to tighten loopholes and reduce children's 
     access to guns. So the question is, will you show leadership 
     to address this one action you can take? Or will you pretend 
     that the status quo is okay?
       I urge you once again to pass the Juvenile Justice bill 
     with the gun control amendments passed by the Senate. If you 
     are unwilling to do so, I ask you to ponder these questions: 
     What useful purpose is there for the semi-automatic weapons 
     like the one used to kill my son? Why do we need imported gun 
     clips holding more than ten bullets, like the one used to 
     kill my son? How many more school shootings or how many more 
     gun deaths would there have to be before you would put aside 
     concerns about `bureaucratic burdens on gun owners' and vote 
     against the NRA and for common sense gun laws? How many???
       On my son's web site I will place your voting record on 
     this issue. Just as the NRA pressures you and holds you 
     accountable, so too will I. In just 12 days since it began, 
     the web site has had well over 5,000 hits, and I expect more 
     as time goes on. I hope you will honor Coloradans and our God 
     by doing the RIGHT thing.
       I encourage you to visit my son's web site 
     (www.danielmauser.com) so you'll be reminded of the human 
     costs of these tragic shootings. I welcome your response to 
     this letter, as would the thousands of Coloradans logging on 
     to the web site.
           Sincerely,

                                                   Tom Mauser.

     

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