[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 16] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 22927] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]MOTION TO INSTRUCT CONFEREES ON H.R. 1501, JUVENILE JUSTICE REFORM ACT OF 1999 ______ speech of HON. CAROLYN C. KILPATRICK of michigan in the house of representatives Friday, September 24, 1999 Ms. KILPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, in the five months since the shooting of 16 innocent high-school children at Columbine High School in a suburb of Denver, Colorado, over 500 American citizens have died as a result of gun violence. What has the Republican leadership in Congress done to address this problem? Absolutely nothing. What is worse, the motion offered by Congressman John Doolittle does even less. This motion, which says that anything during the conference of the Juvenile Justice bill that could possibly harm the Second Amendment to the Constitution should be rejected, is a terrible motion. It is terrible because Congress should protect our neighborhoods, our police departments, and the American people. This motion does protect one group of individuals--the gun lobby. I make no apologies for standing up for our neighborhoods, our police departments, or the citizens of the 15th Congressional District of Michigan. This motion does not protect our neighborhoods. Several Members of Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, have offered reasonable, sane, and safe recommendations regarding gun control. The issue of guns is one that cuts across the whole of America's fabric, but it especially harms minorities and urban areas--similar to the area which I am honored to serve. By limiting the options of Members to posit real and reasonable constitutional limits to control the glut of guns in our nation, this motion makes our neighborhoods unsafe. All we are asking is that gun dealers perform background checks, that child safety locks be sold on handguns, and that former criminals be prevented from buying guns. This motion does not protect our police departments. The Fraternal Order of Police Officers and the International Association of Police Chiefs have endorsed measures similar to the Brady law. These same organizations have both supported measures that would get rid of ``cop killer bullets'', assault weapons and high-powered rifles. This motion would, incredibly, not allow these measures to be considered by the conferees. This motion does not protect the Constitution. We have all sworn to protect and defend the Constitution. It is Congress' job to make laws; it is the job of the women and men of the Supreme Court to interpret the Constitution. We do not need to establish the precedent of ``pre- interpreting'' the Constitution for the sake of a sound bite or political folly. This motion removes the option of interpreting the Constitution from the Judicial branch, presupposing that Members of Congress know what is best for the Constitution. I will continue to fight for our Constitution. I will continue to protect our children, our senior citizens, our neighborhoods, our police officers. I say no to the glut of guns on our streets and to the gun lobby. I urge my colleagues to say no to the Doolittle motion. ____________________