[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 21277]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              GUN VIOLENCE

  Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, despite the outcry for change in the wake 
of the deadliest shooting rampage in our Nation's history, too many 
schools continue to be plagued by gun violence. True prevention 
requires reducing the likelihood of death or injury before an incident 
occurs. Unfortunately, we have still not done enough to prevent 
dangerous guns from falling into the hands of those who may 
intentionally or unintentionally use them to harm themselves or others.
  Earlier this month, a group of engineering students at Kettering 
University, in Flint, MI, gathered in an apartment to celebrate the 
beginning of their 3-month job co-ops, part of their degree 
requirements. One of the students stumbled across a 9mm handgun lying 
on a dresser in one of the apartment's bedrooms. He picked up the 
weapon, and, after seeing himself in a mirror, made a sudden spin move 
with it. As he spun around, the gun accidentally discharged. Karl 
Joseph Hansen, 21 years old and asleep at the time, died of a single 
gunshot wound to the head.
  Because a loaded handgun was present in an otherwise unremarkable 
celebration, one student was left dead and another has been charged 
with involuntary manslaughter, a felony punishable by up to 15 years in 
prison. Such an event is extremely difficult to comprehend. For the 
people and families directly involved, it is nearly impossible.
  Shortly after the tragedy at Kettering University, following a heavy 
night of drinking, an undergraduate student at Yale University decided 
it would be a good idea to fire one of his pistols in the basement of 
his fraternity house. When he heard the shots, a visitor to the school 
ran downstairs to investigate. The student responded to the visitor's 
requests for him to put the gun down by firing two rounds of blanks at 
the ceiling. When the visitor then tried to convince the student even 
blanks could be dangerous, he is reported to have responded by asking 
``Why don't I point it at your head and find out?'' When the student 
was subsequently arrested, police discovered an AK-47 assault rifle, 
AR-15 assault rifle, two rifles, a shotgun, several other pistols and 
nearly 5,000 rounds of ammunition in his bedroom. He has been charged 
with two counts of illegal possession of an assault rifle, unlawful 
discharge of a firearm, reckless endangerment in the first degree, 
threatening in the second degree, and breach of peace in the second 
degree.
  Time after time, we see these tragedies reported in the news. Yet 
Congress has not taken the necessary steps to help control these acts 
of violence or ease the anxiety that many parents and families feel 
each day as their children head off to school. By removing firearms 
from potentially dangerous situations, we can prevent these types of 
tragedies from occurring. Congress should take up and pass sensible gun 
legislation as soon as possible.

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