Peter Hoagland: “I rise today in strong support of the Safe Schools Act to provide grants to schools to establish programs to prevent…”

“I rise today in strong support of the Safe Schools Act to provide grants to schools to establish programs to prevent violence in our schools. It encourages the various agencies and groups involved in crime and education to work together to put our children's interest first. Children in Omaha and across this country should be learning in school, not worrying that they could be injured or killed by another child carrying a weapon. Youth violence is becoming a reality in many cities--big and small. This past fall in Omaha, there were several incidents where children were caught with guns at school. One incident in particular underscores the pervasive availability of handguns in our society. A 7-year-old boy brought a loaded .25 caliber handgun to one of our elementary schools. We cannot allow youth violence to become the rule rather than the exception in our schools. I am working hard to get handguns out of the hands of our children. I have introduced legislation to make it illegal under Federal law for anyone under the age of 18 to possess a handgun or ammunition. It would also prohibit the sale of a handgun or ammunition to or by a minor. The fear of violence in our schools is real.”