Levin is at it again: "Our Chilren Pay the Price"

[Juna]

Senator Levin on the Senate floor March 29th, 2007

Mr. President, the increase in gun violence that affects towns, cities, and rural areas across this Nation takes a particularly heavy toll on our most precious resource, our children and grandchildren. Since 1979, over 101,000 children and teenagers have been killed by firearms. This staggering figure clearly illustrates the inadequacy of Congress's efforts to address the issue of gun violence.

On March 7, 2007, in the small city of Midland, MI, a 17-year-old male shot a 17-year-old female student before turning the gun on himself, committing suicide in the young girl's high school parking lot. Reports indicate the male drove to the school to talk with the female student. After arranging to meet her in the school parking lot, he shot her four times, while her mother watched in horror. He then turned the gun on himself. The very same day, in Greenville, TX, a city of only 26,000 people, a 16-year-old student fatally shot himself inside his high school's hallway.

These are just two examples of the misery gun violence inflicts. According to data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every day, on average, nearly eight children or teens are killed by gun violence in America. In 2004, 58 preschoolers were killed by firearms. Furthermore, for every child or teen death caused by a gun, there are nearly five nonfatal injuries. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, the average cost per gunshot victim, excluding rehabilitation and long-term care, is $45,000. A single year's worth of gunshot injuries adds up to approximately $2.3 billion in lifetime medical costs, half of which is paid for by taxpayers.

The Children's Defense Fund, in their 2007 report on gun violence, makes a number of recommendations to protect children from gun violence. Among other things, the CDF recommends parents remove guns from their homes, schools provide nonviolent conflict resolution courses for all students, and communities create positive activities for children and teenagers to reduce the influence of gangs and drugs. Congress must also take an active role. We should pass commonsense gun safety legislation, support law enforcement and community programs, and help focus media and public attention on causes and consequences of gun violence.

I am hopeful the 110th Congress will work to break the cycle of gun violence that plagues so many of our communities and our children and grandchildren.

:banghead:

 

[lance22]

And, taking MY guns away, or infringing on MY rights correlates to this somehow ??

 

[mbt2001]

That is 3,607 per year. Not exactly epidemic proportions

You know, there are so many varying numbers that come from the left that it is tough to believe anything that they say.

 

[Kentak]

Dontcha love the way they refer to 17 yo gangbangers as children. Makes you think of little kiddies playing with puppies in their front yards.

But, it's easier to ban my gun than do something effective about urban gangs.

Wait a minute. How could those school shooting he refers to happen? Isn't there a federal law making schools a gun-free zone? You mean, those kids didn't obey the signs? I'm shocked.

K

 

[LAR-15]

Senator Levin hasn't introduced any bills to 'break the cycle of gun violence'.

So he's all talk and no action.

 

[geekWithA.45]

So he's all talk and no action.

Didn't Zumbo point out that Levin makes a weekly anti gun tirade, in keeping with some campaign promise?

 

[LAR-15]

Yeah but all he does is spout bs on the issue.

Since when has he sponsored any real anti gun legislation or have I missed it?

 

[langenc]

Levin decries the loss of these "children" but strongly supports the loss of 3000++ every day-"unborn children".. Hippocrit thru and thru.

 

[Outlaw Man]

If he's going to quote research by the CDC he needs to quote their finding that gun control legislation has no measureable effect on crime.

 

[Juna]

In 2004, 58 preschoolers were killed by firearms. Furthermore, for every child or teen death caused by a gun, there are nearly five nonfatal injuries.

According to the NHTSA:

In 2004:
8501 children killed by motor vehicles
740,000+ injured by motor vehicles

In 2003:
Leading cause of death ages 4-34: Motor vehicles

This staggering figure clearly illustrates the inadequacy of Congress's efforts to address the issue of ________.

"Motor Vehicle Violence"

 

[Sindawe]

If he's going to quote research by the CDC he needs to quote their finding that gun control legislation has no measureable effect on crime.

AHHH!!! But THAT would not fit his message that "Guns are BAD!!! Very bad!!" So that little bit of information is excluded as being irrelevant.

Politicians. Can't trust 'em, can't tar & feather 'em.

 

[MrTuffPaws]

FOR THE CHILDREN!!!!!

I am just wondering how my grandfather made it through childhood without the tons of regulation for his safety.

 

[Sniper X]

Someone should ask Sen. Levin about the stats on how many "defenseless children" are killed in car accedents or by falling off of bikes and skateboards every year, that number is STAGGERING! There are more killed every year in falls than in gun violence, but I don;t see sen. Levin wanting to ban skateboards, or bikes, or cars...hmmmmm what is his real adjenda?

I still don;t see what possible gain the liberals think disarming honest law abiding citizens will do?

 

[SkiLune]

In addition to shooting, I am an alpine skier. Skiing is by far the riskiest thing I do. Two skiing fatalities in my state last weekend.

I've seen reckless skiers run into others. I hope Levin doesn't catch wind of this.

 

[rich642z]

Levin at it again:Our Children Pay The Price

What we all need to do is to vote each of these anti-gun goofs who are carrer politicians[Ted Kennedy] and put in all pro-gun politicians. The reasons so many kids are killed by gunfire is the gang member mentalliety that is running rampant in our schools. 3,o67 kids killed are one to many. but,these politicians who are anti-gun are supporting the gang members. Next time one of these hotshots politicians that are running for President,Ask them why they support gun control and not gang member control. Rich Ziemies,Omaha,Ne.

 

[Thefabulousfink]

Mr. President, the increase in violence that affects towns, cities, and rural areas across this Nation takes a particularly heavy toll on our most precious resource, our children and grandchildren. This staggering figure clearly illustrates the inadequacy of Congress's efforts to address the issue of violence.

Just recently in Verona, IT a teenage girl bought drugs from an apothecary to fake her own death because her family would not let here marry the boy she loved. The boy, unaware of his lover's plan, learned of her death and bought a poison from another apothecary to kill himself. When the girl awoke and found her lover dead, she stabbed herself with his dagger.

Obviously the pressence of unlicensed apothecaries and the legal carrying of daggers is causing our young and impressionable children to fall in love and them kill themselves when their overly-complex plans to elope fail.

I am hopeful the 110th Congress will work to break the cycle of apothercary violence and the dagger epidemic that plagues so many of our communities and our children and grandchildren.

Edit: We also need to ban Shakspeare from our schools because it results in sarcastic criticisms of our more idiotic senators.

 

[Thain]

Levin puts these kinds of diatribes into the Congressional Record on a semi-regular basis. However, he never actually introduces any bills about it. Its just a smoke and mirrors attempt to set up some sort of anti-gun papertrail so he can get Brady money every six years.

You'll note I point out he "puts these ... into the Congressional Record," because he never actually stands up and makes these speeches. Congress-Critters get to add things or edit things actually said into the offical written record. What you see and hear on C-SPAN isn't what goes into the books.

Every Congress-critter does it, but I find Levin's use of it to "keep campaign promises" to his base, and at the same time not alientate those outside that base, to be especially odius.

But, don't blame me, I voted for the Libertarians.

 

[Axman]

I've seen reckless skiers run into others. I hope Levin doesn't catch wind of this.

Now if the skier had a gun........

 

[Autolycus]

Originally posted by lagenc:
Levin decries the loss of these "children" but strongly supports the loss of 3000++ every day-"unborn children".. Hippocrit thru and thru.

What are you talking about?

Originally posted by Sniper X:
Someone should ask Sen. Levin about the stats on how many "defenseless children" are killed in car accedents or by falling off of bikes and skateboards every year, that number is STAGGERING! There are more killed every year in falls than in gun violence, but I don;t see sen. Levin wanting to ban skateboards, or bikes, or cars...hmmmmm what is his real adjenda?

I still don;t see what possible gain the liberals think disarming honest law abiding citizens will do?

Do you have those statistics? I dont think it is "the dreaded Liberals" so much as just plain old fashioned anti gunners with an antigun agenda.

 

[gotarheels03]

Hmmm, I wonder then why there was little or no gun violence prior to 1950? There werent school shootings and gang violence all the time, yet there were also very few gun control laws other than the NFA.

Seems the country has become far more violent since the advent of "gun control"

 

[Sniper X]

I'll look for it again, it was about a year ago I found it originally, but doesn't the term liberal and anti gunner go hand in hand 90% or the time when it comes to politics? BTW, I am not anti liberal, I am anti stupidity. And in my opinion, these anti gun nuts are as stupid as their reasons to ban guns. Oh, and one stat I forgot, I saw Thank you for smoking last month, they were talking around a table and the smoking lobbiest said to the gun lobiest, you guys are nothing compasred to the ammount of smoking deaths every year, we have you beat by thousands! or something to that effect.....Paging Sen Levin to the smokin hot white courtesy phone!

 

[Sniper X]

Gotar, yes! I have used this argument many times. When we ALL had toy guns, we all played Cowboys and Indians and pretended to kill each other, we almost all had a gun by the tender age of 12, and there were NO NONE not ONE school shootings till the 80s I can even remember!

Now all toy guns if still available have to be neon coloures, or clear so the police won;t kill some kid when they get called out to have a swat standoff when someone sees a kid playing with a toy gun.

 

[romma]

After all,,, Nobobody "NEEDS" a swimming pool!

 

[PedalBiker]

Levin doesn't mind having our children pay the price for all his spending. He's an exploiter of misery.

 

[Robert Hairless]

SniperX:

Gotar, yes! I have used this argument many times. When we ALL had toy guns, we all played Cowboys and Indians and pretended to kill each other, we almost all had a gun by the tender age of 12, and there were NO NONE not ONE school shootings till the 80s I can even remember!

Now all toy guns if still available have to be neon coloures, or clear so the police won;t kill some kid when they get called out to have a swat standoff when someone sees a kid playing with a toy gun.

What Levin and his friends seem unable to recognize is that we had better parents and better parenting then. It did not "take a village." My parents did not need or want any government's participation in helping them to raise us.

I've reluctantly become convinced that this generation of parents really does need governmental intervention to help raise their children. They are incompetent at parenting. They do need laws of every conceivable kind to do for them what they cannot--or are unwilling to--do themselves. Our children pay the price.