[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 7096-7099]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRAGIC SCHOOL SHOOTINGS

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, once again the Senate is grieving for one 
of our communities that has suffered a tragic school shooting. We are 
all profoundly saddened today by the news out of the State of Colorado.
  For those of us from my home State of Oregon, this feeling is, 
unfortunately, too familiar. It was just about a year ago that this 
same form of evil visited Thurston High School in Oregon. And I want to 
say, first and foremost, to the people of Colorado that Oregon's heart 
goes out to all of you today. The people of Colorado are in our 
prayers.
  If our experience can be any measure of comfort, I would offer the 
observation that in Colorado, just as it was in Oregon, the parents and 
students will find that their neighbors can be an incredible resource 
of support. There is more strength in our communities than we realize. 
And while nothing--nothing--can ever ease this sort of pain, that 
strength does possess a tremendous healing power.
  Mr. President, why are we seeing these tragedies in our country? We 
feel so good about the very strong economy. We play a preeminent 
leadership role in the world. There are so many good things in our 
Nation. But we send our children off to school in the morning and so 
often we have to worry that they might be gunned down by a classmate. 
What has produced this horrible evil?
  I do not come to the floor of the Senate today to say I have the 
answers, but I know that we are not doing our job in this body if we do 
not try to find them. And it seems to me those of us from the States 
that have seen this horrible scourge--the Senators from Colorado and 
Arkansas and Kentucky and my own of Oregon--need to sit down together--
and soon--and begin a meaningful conversation about the practical and 
concrete steps that can be taken to prevent these tragedies. We ought 
to talk with everyone, we ought to talk with Sarah Brady, who has one 
point of view, talk with the National Rifle Association, who has 
another point of view. We need to have a concrete dialogue with all who 
have been part of this national discussion to find a way to stop these 
tragedies.
  In the wake of what happened in Springfield, OR, Senator Gordon Smith 
and I worked, on a bipartisan basis, to make sure that if a kid brought 
a gun to school, action would be taken to treat that as a five-alarm 
warning. Looking at yesterday's tragedy, it seems to me that our 
bipartisan bill would not have been enough, because these students had 
never been caught with guns in school before. But the facts appear to 
be that the students there knew that this group was involved with 
weapons and that they had been engaged in potentially dangerous 
activities. We need to find ways to translate this knowledge into 
concrete approaches so the authorities can take steps to protect our 
youngsters in our schools.
  Mr. President, so many Members of this body are parents. Many of our 
colleagues have been blessed with grandchildren. It chills all of us to 
the bone to think that this can happen in our communities, and that it 
has happened too often.
  The people have elected us to lead. This is a problem which cannot be 
avoided. I am going to do everything I can, in a bipartisan fashion, 
with colleagues from other States that have seen these tragedies, to 
find those practical steps so parents across this country can have the 
certainty that when they send their youngsters to school they will come 
home safely at the end of the day.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I wanted to just take a few minutes to 
focus the attention of the Senate on this terrible tragedy that 
occurred yesterday in our schools. We all now know two students of 
Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, stormed into their school and 
began shooting at students and teachers, yesterday. The last that I 
heard, police believed that 16 people have been killed. Many of them 
were either just beginning their lunch or were studying in the library 
at the time they were assaulted. The details behind the violence are 
overwhelming, and the motivations leading to it are incomprehensible to 
all of us. But we are left wondering how this could happen in a 
suburban community like Littleton, CO.
  I know we all grieve with the parents of those students and the 
families of the faculty who were killed yesterday.
  Our Nation has witnessed five violent events in our schools during 
the past 17 months and we need to focus on that pattern of activity. 
Five communities have experienced this violence firsthand:
  In Paducah, KY, in December of 1997, December 1, 1997, a 14-year-old 
boy shot and killed three girls at Heath High School in Kentucky and 
the shooter wounded five others.
  On March 24, 1998, in Jonesboro, AR, two young boys hiding in the 
woods began shooting at their classmates and their teachers.
  At Edinboro, PA, on April 25 of 1998 another 14-year-old student of 
Parker Middle School shot and killed a teacher and two other boys were 
wounded.
  In Fayetteville, TN, less than a year ago, on March 19 of 1998, a 
senior at Lincoln County High School in Tennessee shot and killed a 
fellow student. And then in Springfield, OR, 2 days after the Tennessee 
incident, on May 21 of 1998, a 15-year-old student opened fire at 
Thurston High School in Oregon and killed two students and wounded 22 
others.
  We should not wait for another incident to happen before we take some 
action here in the Congress. These tragedies are the reason that last 
year I introduced a bill entitled ``The Safe Schools Security Act.'' 
The bill passed the Senate unanimously, I believe. Unfortunately, it 
was dropped in the conference. This year, a little over a

[[Page 7097]]

month ago, on March 17, I again introduced the Safe Schools Security 
Act. In my view, we need to move ahead with that legislation. We have 
waited too long.
  Yesterday the importance of this bill was made more evident by what 
we observed in Colorado. Recent studies show that our children fear 
they will be the victims of crime in school. Mr. President, 29 percent 
of our elementary schoolchildren fear that, 34 percent of our junior 
high, and 20 percent of our high school students fear they will be a 
victim of a crime while at school, according to a recent poll.
  The schoolyard fight which I was familiar with when I was growing up 
is no longer the worst fear that students have. Mr. President, 75 
percent of children ages 7 through 10 say they do worry about being 
shot or stabbed, and 13 percent of high school seniors report being 
threatened by a weapon between 1995 and 1996.
  In 1997, a high school in my home State, Belen High School in Belen, 
NM, decided to improve school security. They did so in an effort to 
protect their students and their teachers and the school property. 
Belen partnered with Sandia National Laboratories, one of our 
Department of Energy Labs in Albuquerque, to try to accomplish this 
security upgrade. The results have been impressive. After 2 years, 
Belen High School experienced a 75-percent reduction in school 
violence, a 30-percent reduction in truancy, an 80-percent reduction in 
vehicle break-ins in the school parking lot, and a 75-percent reduction 
in vandalism.
  Most noteworthy, Belen realized a 100-percent reduction in the 
presence of unauthorized people on school grounds. This is an issue in 
more and more of our schools today. They implemented several security 
measures, including placing security officers on permanent patrol on 
the campus, fencing the property, and restricting access to a single 
entrance where students and visitors could be monitored. They installed 
cameras in the parking lots to monitor vehicles and student activities. 
Through cooperation with the local police, the high school in Belen 
secured a police officer to work with the campus security officers and 
to patrol the school grounds after school to prevent unauthorized 
access.
  This Safe Schools Security Act, which I have introduced again this 
year, S. 638, will also establish a security technology center that 
Sandia would operate to provide security assessments of middle schools 
and high schools, and to offer advice to schools about the security 
measures that are needed to be implemented and improved. The act would 
provide money and grants to local schools so they could purchase the 
appropriate technology and hire the necessary personnel to beef up 
security.
  Obviously, improving school security will not guarantee that violence 
ceases in our schools.
  It is a start. By restricting access, we can reduce unauthorized 
persons coming onto school grounds. By installing cameras on some of 
our school campuses, schools can be forewarned of problems in certain 
areas of the campus, and law enforcement can utilize those cameras in 
situations like the hostage situation that occurred yesterday in 
Colorado.
  By planning the construction of schools with security in mind, we can 
begin to minimize the risks of violence occurring in our schools. 
Teachers and administrators need to identify their schools' security 
weaknesses. The personnel who have been working on this issue at Sandia 
Labs, with Federal money I should point out, have developed some 
expertise that can be helpful to some of our schools in this regard. 
Because of yesterday's tragedy, parents, teachers, and community 
leaders are asking, what can be done to protect our schools, and all of 
us in America are debating what can be done.
  This bill cannot ensure that our children will be safe in school, but 
it will provide schools with a course of action to follow and with some 
resources to begin addressing this problem in a meaningful way.
  We all know that most schools do not have the financial resources to 
purchase security technology, and high schools and middle schools often 
lack the technical expertise to know what kind of technology will best 
serve their school. This bill could help to provide that expertise and 
help to give good advice, expert advice to schools on appropriate 
technology and on appropriate actions that could be taken to make our 
schools more secure.
  Mr. President, with this terrible tragedy still very much in front of 
us, I urge that we consider the proposals that I have set forth in this 
bill. I urge that we think about what action we can take to lessen the 
likelihood of these types of incidents in the future. Obviously, our 
children are our most important resource in this country, and I believe 
some additional effort in this regard would be well advised and 
strongly supported by all my colleagues.
  I hope we can move ahead on this bill. I appreciate very much the 
chance to speak on it today.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, this morning we all have to return to 
business, but it is an especially difficult day to do so.
  It is difficult to think of anything other than the terrible tragedy 
in Littleton, CO yesterday.
  Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Columbine High 
School--the students and staff injured; the families of those who were 
killed; and everyone who suffered the terrifying ordeal there.
  Our nation is suffering, too--at the thought that such horrifying 
events are taking place all too often in our country.
  It was heartening to see so many parents reunited with their children 
yesterday. Still, those joyful hugs were bittersweet reminders of the 
families waiting for students and staff who didn't come home.
  These families and the community of Littleton have lost their loved 
ones, and their lives will never be the same again. Their losses cannot 
be replaced. They, and everyone affected by yesterday's events, have 
lost their innocence, too.
  We all want to believe that our schools will be places where children 
can learn in a safe, supportive environment, where they will learn not 
only what they need to go on to college or vocational school or work, 
but also what they need to become well-balanced, emotionally secure 
people.
  Certainly schools cannot be expected to do the job by themselves. It 
does take a village to raise a child.
  It takes, first and foremost, parents who love and respect and talk 
to and spend time with their children. Parents must be prepared to meet 
the daunting challenge of rearing children in a society that seems to 
move too fast. As important as schools are, parents are their 
children's first and most compelling teachers. Parents must realize 
that, even when they aren't conscious of it, they are teaching their 
children constantly. Their example is the most powerful teaching tool 
available, and it can be used to constructive or destructive ends. Our 
children's values originate from their parents' values--those taught, 
and those exemplified, those that are negative and those that are 
positive.
  It also takes a child care system that pays its workers more than the 
minimum wage. It takes schools that truly educate and do their best to 
give every student the attention he or she needs. It takes qualified 
teachers who value their students and, in turn, are valued by us. It 
takes friends and neighbors who get involved in supporting parents, 
schools, and children. It takes a juvenile justice system that protects 
society from violent criminals and strives to intervene in youthful 
offenders' lives before they are beyond our help. It takes a society 
that shows children the way without alienating them.
  It takes all of us.
  Our schools are populated by a talented, committed generation of 
young people. I am optimistic about our future, their future. It is a 
sad reality that just a few people can cause such great devastation--in 
our schools and on our streets. The problem is not our children--it is 
our failure to deal adequately with their needs. Too many of

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today's children face intense fear, anger, and confusion. They need our 
time and attention. They need us to teach them how to deal with those 
emotions in constructive ways.
  Even children who have good values--and are good kids--face 
incredible emotional and societal challenges and pressures that most 
children of my generation never had to worry about. And they need our 
help. I never had to worry about assault weapons or pipe bombs when I 
went to school. I wasn't confronted with drug pushers. And I had two 
loving parents who were involved in my education and my life.
  We can't go back in time, and we shouldn't undercut our basic 
freedoms. But we do have to work together--every one of us--to address 
the problems that threaten the fabric of our society.
  We can--and should--have a thoughtful discussion about how to shape a 
comprehensive national response to the problem of violence in our 
schools and our communities. We should have that discussion soon.
  But today is about grieving the loss of those killed, sending 
positive thoughts to those who were injured, and praying for everyone 
involved in this terrible tragedy.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, yesterday's tragedy in Littleton, 
Colorado has brought the nation together in our sense of shock and 
horror. I want the people of Littleton to know that they are in our 
thoughts and our hearts. We cannot know the devastation they must feel, 
and we can only imagine, ``what if that were my child?'' In this time 
of terrible sorrow, your nation sends its profound sympathy.
  Yesterday, two heavily-armed students went into Columbine High School 
in Littleton, in what has been described as a suicide mission, to bring 
violence and death on their classmates, their teachers, and themselves.
  One student last night, a girl from another high school who visited 
Columbine to show her support, made a very important observation: 
``People always say `it couldn't happen here; it couldn't happen to 
me,' well, it did happen here; it did happen to us.'' We must ask 
ourselves what we can to stop this senseless violence from happening 
again in another town, another community, another school.
  As we begin to sort through the aftermath of this terrible tragedy, 
inevitably we will arrive at the question ``why?'' It is too easy for a 
young person these days to feel anonymous--to go unseen. Too many young 
people in America will wake up today, walk through the neighborhood, 
attend a crowded school, walk through the shopping mall, and return 
home--without ever getting acknowledgment or recognition or support 
from even one adult.
  As a nation, we must make a determined effort to change this 
unfortunate fact. We have a responsibility to the nation's young people 
to do better. I have talked to too many young people who say that 
``adults just don't seem to care about me.'' Sometimes just a 
conversation or even a smile can send an important message to a young 
person--``You matter. I want things to go well for you. If you need 
help, I'm here.''
  Young people today are different in many ways than when we were 
young, but one thing hasn't changed. They still need our understanding, 
and our compassion. And they need to know that someone cares about them 
so that they don't see violence as a solution. Violence is not an 
option. We cannot tolerate violence in our schools.
  Tragically, these two students at Columbine High School, who so 
desperately wanted someone's attention have finally succeeded. In their 
cry to be heard, they have done irreparable damage to the families and 
community of Littleton. And as we search for an explanation, we find 
ourselves struggling to understand who those two boys were and how they 
could commit such an awful crime.
  There is not a legislative solution to the problem of violence in our 
schools. Instead, we must begin a national dialogue about what we all 
can do to let children know that violence is simply not acceptable. As 
we all reflect on yesterday, each one of us should ask ourselves what 
we can do to make a difference. We each must take responsibility to do 
a better job in letting all children know that adults care about them . 
. . that there are other ways to make their voice heard . . . that they 
matter.
  For the last three years, I have cosponsored, with former Senator 
Kempthorne, a resolution establishing the Day of Concern About Young 
People and Gun Violence. Every year we have received dozens of Senate 
cosponsors--56 last year--and widespread support from the Parent-
Teacher Association, Mothers Against Violence in America, the National 
Association of Student Councils, and others.
  But more importantly, last year more than a million students signed a 
pledge promising they would never take a gun to school, would never use 
a gun to settle a dispute, and would use their influence to prevent 
friends from using guns to settle disputes. I hope all of my Senate 
colleagues will join me this year in cosponsoring and passing this 
important resolution establishing the Day of Concern on October 21, 
1999.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, my wife Joan and I were shocked and 
dismayed at the violence and bloodshed at Columbine High School in 
Littleton, Colorado yesterday.
  Words cannot do justification to the deep sense of loss all of us are 
feeling today following the tragedy. But words--these words, and the 
words of our prayers--are what we have to offer now.
  I offer my condolences to all those who lost loved ones, and to those 
whose loved ones have been wounded, hurt, and terrified.
  I would like to ask America for their prayers as well. They are 
needed. The Columbine High School community is in shock, the State of 
Colorado is in shock, and America is in shock.
  Before I left my office just now, I heard the final number of 
casualties--15. Fifteen lives, most of them young, ended yesterday by 
savage violence.
  This is a wound, a scar, that will not be removed, and for those who 
bear the worst of this burden my wife and I offer all our compassion, 
our sympathy and our prayers.
  We should recognize the heroism of the local police, the emergency 
personnel, and others who responded, as well as the heroism of the 
students and teachers caught in the attack. Many put their lives on the 
line to rescue students and escort them to safety.
  The simple, unplanned bravery and courage of those who did whatever 
they could--in the midst of mayhem and terror--to avert further tragedy 
might never be fully known but should be fully acknowledged.
  There are far too many of my colleagues who have had this 
experience--who have watched as news of school shootings and teen 
violence spread across the media. This tragedy erupted in Colorado, but 
it is part of a nationwide concern.
  In the coming months there will be time, and there will be a need, 
for us to commit ourselves to finding a solution to this tragic 
problem. We must ask ourselves how this could happen, and what can be 
done to prevent it from ever happening again. There is, I am sure, no 
simple solution. But we must pledge ourselves to doing what we can.
  Right now, however, I think the best response in the aftermath of 
this horror is, as Governor Bill Owens said, to hug our children. To 
hug them, and think about providing a better, more secure future.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Idaho.
  Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I think, be it Senator Allard or his wife 
or myself or my wife or any American, we woke up this morning to watch 
the morning news to be saddened by the situation in Kosovo but to be 
brought to tears by the situation in Littleton, CO. It is a tragic time 
and a very sad day for America. I concur with my colleague from 
Colorado, there are no easy answers. There were brave people and there 
were wonderful young people who lost their lives. So let me join with 
my colleague from Colorado in expressing our concern, our sympathy, and 
our condolences to all involved in this tragic issue.

[[Page 7099]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, it is my understanding that Senator Boxer 
and I have been given 30 minutes in morning business today. Is that 
true?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. That is correct.
  Mr. REID. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada is recognized.

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