[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 20052-20053]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                            SCHOOL SHOOTINGS

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, it is not even one month into the school 
year and yet school is canceled for the week at Carter C. Woodson 
Middle School in New Orleans, Louisiana. On Tuesday afternoon, a 13-
year-old boy, who had been expelled from school for fighting, allegedly 
slipped another 13-year-old a .38-caliber revolver. The expelled teen 
was seen passing the handgun through the school fence to the other 13-
year-old, who allegedly used the gun to shoot a 15-year-old schoolmate. 
According to witnesses, the 15-year-old then managed to get the gun 
from his attacker and return gunfire.
  As a result of this school day skirmish, two teenagers have been 
hospitalized in critical condition and another teen-ager has been 
booked on charges of illegally carrying a gun and being a principal to 
attempted first-degree murder. In addition, the 600 student middle 
school is in a ``cooling off period,'' meaning classes are canceled for 
the rest of the week.
  It is deeply disturbing that teen-agers have such easy access to 
handguns. The laws in this country make it

[[Page 20053]]

illegal for a juvenile to possess a handgun or a person to sell, 
deliver, or otherwise transfer a handgun to a juvenile. Yet, with so 
many loopholes in our firearm distribution laws, it is easy for 
prohibited users, such as young people, to find illegal access to 
thousands of guns.
  Congress can close those loopholes and act to prevent tragedies like 
the one in New Orleans. With only one week left until the Senate's 
target adjournment, the time is now. We must pass sensible gun laws and 
reduce the threat of gun violence in our schools and communities.

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