When Charles Andrew Williams entered school on Monday, March 5, he had already cried out for help.  He had told his friends his plan. He had even told his friend’s parent.  In all, Andy Williams told over 20 people what he planned to do.  But no one took him seriously and now two children are dead. While this was clearly an act of rage, it was also one of fear and desperation.    

And sadly, Andy was not alone.  Within 48 hours of his arrest, 16 other children in California had been arrested or detained for suspicion of gun-related violence.  In fact, since Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris killed thirteen of their classmates at Columbine High School almost two years ago, over eighteen separate incidents of student-to-student gun violence have occurred.  Many more planned attempts to emulate this violence have gone unreported or perhaps never even known.  Just six weeks ago in East Providence, Rhode Island, a hit list was found that was written by four fifth graders.

Many of us are at a loss to explain this explosion of school violence in recent years, but everyone agrees that we must address the mental health needs of our children.  Education Secretary Rod Paige has attributed the rash of school shootings to “alienation and rage.”  A recent Secret Service study concluded that the common theme underlying perpetrators of violent crimes in schools is depression.  Three-quarters of children committing these crimes have talked about or attempted suicide.  More than two-thirds report having been bullied by their peers.  Disturbing emotions of alienation and rage in our nation’s schools are real and pervasive and deep-seated.  We must take steps to alleviate this pain and provide the help our children are crying out for in these violent actions. 

Our schoolchildren need professional counselors who can help them cope with the pressures of being a teenager.  They need supportive adults in their lives.  They also need a moral compass that will help them sort through the violence that permeates our culture.  What they do not need is easy access to weapons.  Whatever alienation Andy Williams was feeling, he could not have committed such a heinous act without the help of a .22 caliber revolver.  

Guns are simply too accessible to children today, and American children are suffering the consequences.  The accidental death rate among children from gunshot wounds is nine times higher in the United States than in the other largest 25 industrialized countries combined, and at least six loopholes still exist that allow children and violent offenders to obtain guns.  Guns alone do not kill children, but in times of extreme emotional distress they enable a disturbed innocent child to become a murderer.

Efforts to increase children’s self-esteem and to reduce their access to guns will decrease the number of these incidents.  While I applaud my colleagues in honoring the children and families of Santana High School, I urge you to let this be the first step toward change, not the last.   As one whose life was forever altered when a gun accidentally discharged, I know firsthand that guns are dangerous and far too often fatal.  For the sake of our children, I implore my colleagues to pass meaningful legislation to end school violence once and for all.

Thank you Mr. Speaker.