James M. Jeffords: “I certainly commend the Senator for bringing this amendment before us. Certainly we all are deeply concerned about guns…”

“I certainly commend the Senator for bringing this amendment before us. Certainly we all are deeply concerned about guns in schools. However, the wording of it disturbs and it might be something we can work at. In Vermont I know, for instance, just the other day a kid got a birthday present when he was on his way to school. All sorts of problems followed. Most importantly, my philosophy is that this is a matter the State ought to control itself. We ought not to mandate gun laws on the States. Therefore, I have a hard time philosophically agreeing to amendments of this kind. For instance, I know other practices. In Vermont we bus kids from long ways. Sometimes they may go hunting in different places after school, and will end up driving with their friends to hunt deer. This is certainly not what should be considered at this time. I feel strongly this ought to be left to the States. However, I would be glad to work with the Senator with respect to his amendment to see if we can develop some sort of policy statement.”