Herb Kohl: “I rise to applaud this morning's bipartisan ``firearm summit'' at the White House. A commitment to find an agreeable…”

“I rise to applaud this morning's bipartisan ``firearm summit'' at the White House. A commitment to find an agreeable compromise on the Juvenile Justice Bill could not be more timely. A week ago today, Mr. President, a six-year old living in a drug-infested flophouse in Mount Morris Township, Michigan found a gun under a quilt. The six-year old who found that gun wanted to settle a playground quarrel he had the previous day with his classmate, Kayla Rolland. He was able to grab the gun from under the quilt because blankets are not trigger locks; they are not a sufficient deterrent to curious children who find guns lying around unlocked. He took the gun and hid it in his pants and brought it to school the next day. No one and nothing prevented him from doing so. When he arrived at Buell Elementary School, the boy announced to Kayla that she was not his friend. He waited for an opportunity to get back at her. He later said he wanted to scare her. As his classmates were filing out and heading toward the school library, he had his chance. He did not call her names; he did not pull her hair; he did not hit her. Instead, he pulled the gun from his pants and waved it at two other classmates. He then accurately set his sights on Kayla, pulled the trigger, and killed her. She was all of six years old. He shot her dead in their first grade classroom.”