Floor Statement - Senate Gun Control Measure

IN OPPOSITION TO SENATE GUN CONTROL MEASURE

Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, I want to make a point on the legislation before the cloture vote we are going to have shortly because, according to the rules, I am not going to be able to debate this until after the vote, which is really not the best process in the world. But I want my colleagues to know what we will be voting cloture on in a very few moments is the Senate substitute for the underlying House bill. So when we go to cloture on that, what we are doing is substituting gun control for the House bill.

I want all of my colleagues to understand that H.R. 1501 is a return to traditional values.

This bill brings morals back into the school. It brings values back into the school. It focuses on the cultural problems that are facing us. It allows a display of the Ten Commandments. It allows individual religious expression. It allows prayer at school memorial services. It allows faith-based groups to compete for Government juvenile justice grants. That is the underlying provision. That is what I wanted to vote on, and that is what I did not have the opportunity to vote on.

What is being substituted is gun control. It imposes strict limits on gun shows. It requires the sale of trigger locks with guns, and it puts new limits on juvenile gun possession, even juveniles who are law-abiding citizens who might like to have hunting licenses.

The bottom line is, the bill passed by the Senate is a good cultural bill. Gun control is being substituted. If my colleagues vote for cloture, they are voting to substitute gun control for a very good bill that focuses on the cultural and moral problems in our schools.

I will close on this point. There is a fictitious story being circulated on the Internet where a Columbine High School student writes a letter to God and says:

Dear God: I'm very angry with you. I don't understand why you allowed 13 of my fellow students to be killed by two of my fellow students. Please answer me as soon as possible. Columbine High School student.

A letter comes back from God:

Dear student: Let me remind you, I'm not allowed in your high school.

We need to think seriously because this is a major decision we are making. If my colleagues vote for cloture, they are substituting gun control for values, prayer in school, the Ten Commandments, religious expression, and prayers at memorial services. That is what they are substituting, one for the other.

Let's make it clear: If you are for gun control, vote for cloture. If you are for values and prayer and the Ten Commandments in school, vote against cloture.

I yield back the remainder of my time. I thank the minority leader for his courtesy. .