[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 11277]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          A DECADE OF INACTION

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, last Monday marked the tenth anniversary of 
the tragic shooting at Columbine High School. The prior Thursday was 
the second anniversary of the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech. These 
horrific anniversaries have become far too common. Since the shooting 
at Columbine, I have spoken regularly on the Senate floor about the 
pressing need for common sense gun safety legislation. Unfortunately, 
Congress has failed to act.
  Even a decade later, the very mention of Columbine High School 
strikes a nerve with those who hear it. Many of us can still recall 
with eerie detail the chaotic scenes of hundreds of terrified children 
running from their school as SWAT-teams descended on the building, 
searching for two adolescents who, before taking their own lives, 
murdered 12 innocent students, a teacher, and wounded two dozen others.
  In the years that have followed, those closest to the event have 
recounted how they are constantly reminded of that day by the fragments 
of ammunition in their bodies or the physical scars from wounds 
suffered that day. Many victims have described shuddering at the sight 
of a trench coat or being instantly transported back to the incident 
from the sound or smell of fireworks. The physical and emotional pain 
these victims have endured should be intolerable to us. Yet Congress 
has refused to take the necessary steps to prevent it.
  Our Nation suffers from a horrific epidemic of gun violence. Over 
30,000 Americans die from firearms every year, nearly 12,000 of which 
are homicides. That is an average of 32 gun murders every day, the same 
number killed at Virginia Tech. While we all hope and pray that these 
types of public tragedies do not happen again, the truth is that the 
threat of gun violence has not diminished.
  Gun violence is preventable, however, it requires action. Without 
action, gun violence will continue to be found in our high schools, 
universities, religious institutions and our homes. For too long, 
victims and their families, educators and police officials around this 
country have cried out for sensible gun legislation that would keep 
guns out of the wrong hands, close the gun show loophole, reauthorize 
the assault weapons ban and aid law enforcement agencies in tracking 
gun traffickers. Passage of such legislation would serve as monumental 
steps toward ensuring these types of tragedies do not continue. 
Congress must do everything possible to reduce the level of gun 
violence in America.

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