Political Quotes

“the headlines in our morning papers are a sad reminder: America Faces a National Gun Crisis. USA Today is published across America. This morning's paper, on its front page, speaks of the shooting of a little 6-year-old girl in Mount Morris Township, MI. Her name was Kayla Rolland. Her parents sent her to the first grade. She never came home. Turn the page and find on page 3: Pa. Gunman Flies into a Fatal Rage. Firearms are easy to come by--for 6-year-olds and psychotics. That is the state of affairs in America today. The violence in America is not confined to mean streets. It is in our homes, it is in our fast food restaurants, and, yes, it is even in our schools. We passed legislation several years ago to make certain that Congress and the American people would know, on an annual basis, about the evidence of gun violence in our schools. From the school year 1997 and 1998, the Department of Education reports to us grim statistics about what we face as a nation. Let me recount for you what they have told us. The U.S. Department of Education's recent report on the implementation of the Gun-Free Schools Act found that 3,930 children were expelled for bringing guns to school during the 1997-1998 school year, almost 4,000 children. Nationwide, 57 percent of the expulsions were high school students, 33 percent were junior high, 10 percent were elementary school. That means almost 400 elementary students were expelled for bringing firearms to school.”