Statement of Reginald Weaver
Vice President
National Education Association
On the Introduction of the
Children's Gun Violence Prevention Act of 1998

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 17, 1998

Thank you Senator Kennedy, Representative McCarthy, and Mrs. Brady. The National Education Association (NEA) commends the sponsors and is proud to offer the support of its 2.4 million members for key provisions of the Children's Gun Violence Prevention Act. As my colleagues have already referenced, the recent shootings at schools have deeply shaken us all. In many ways, the shootings are a desperate cry for help from our most troubled and lost youth. It is a cry that we, as a nation, can no longer afford to ignore. Children and teachers are being killed in senseless shootings.

In the past year, we have lost 14 children and 2 teachers to gunfire. While one of the teachers was a member of the National Education Association, all of the victims are part of our extended family.

Shannon Wright was the kind of teacher that any of us would have loved to have had. This public school teacher gave her life to protect her students. Miss Wright didn't think twice about shielding Emma Pittman. She didn't need to -- because she knew the parents of Jonesboro had entrusted their children to her. There are a lot of teachers out there like Miss Wright who would put the safety of their students before their own.

No one knows her dedication to the students of West Side Middle School better than the families of Shannon Wright and Emma Pittman. And no one understands Miss Wright's devotion to her students better than her sixth-grade class who finished this school year without being able to tell her how much she helped them get through the school term -- indeed survive. It was her devotion to her students that put her in the path of a bullet from a high-powered rifle .

And let's not forget John Gillette. Probably one of the most popular teachers at James W. Parker Middle School. The kind of guy who goes above and beyond his duties as a science teacher and takes on the role of chaperone, coach, and advisor. And just this week -- practically in our backyard, in Richmond, Virginia -- another teacher and a volunteer affectionately known as "Grandma" -- were hit by gunfire.

These tragedies have brought us here together today. Never again can a community say, "We didn't think it could happen here." We know it can happen anywhere. Communities have to come together. Responsible adults have to work together to prevent violence from spilling over into our schools. While it will take time to do some soul-searching and honest reflection to get at the root of this problem -- and make no mistake -- the violence we are witnessing is deeply embedded in our society -- we can attempt an immediate disarmament of our children.

Guns have no place in school. Let me repeat. Guns have no place in our schools. To me, as the kids would say, this is a no brainer. But unfortunately there will be those who will try to derail the Children's Gun Violence Prevention Act of 1998.

Already we have in hand the results of the Gun-Free School Act of 1994. That law demanded a one year expulsion for carrying weapons onto school grounds. We know from the U.S. Education Department that the ban on guns has had a tremendous effect already. Last year, over 6,000 students carrying weapons were told to check their gun at the principal's office and go home. Think about it! Six thousand guns were taken out of classrooms. That kind of firepower belongs in a war, not in our schools.

In many ways we locked the barn door after the horse was stolen. It's one thing to expel a student after bringing a gun to school. It is another, and far more logical move to limit access to the very weapons that will provoke expulsion.

The Children's Gun Violence Prevention Act of 1998 will lock the proverbial barn door before the guns are stolen so that kids can't get to them. It provides a variety of ways to limit children's access to guns. And isn't that what we want? How can we expect our kids to learn algebra when they're thinking about whether the student next to them is carrying a Glock? How can we get them to focus on literature when they're worrying about getting to their next class safely?

But we dare not stop at removing guns from our children's hands. We must end America's love affair with violence. And we can start tonight by turning off the television and reading with our children. We can start this summer by not seeing the latest $20 million action film, where its guaranteed that at least two dozen people will be killed, enough cars to fill a dealership's lot will get blown up, and planes will crash after a terrorist hijacking.

The Children's Gun Violence Prevention Act of 1998 is a worthwhile step in our long march toward keeping kids safe and making schools safe havens of learning. The National Education Association looks forward to working with Rep. McCarthy and Senator Kennedy to pass this bill.