March 14, 2001

WASHINGTON -- Words of grief and sympathy resounded in the Capitol yesterday as the House passed a resolution condemning last week's shooting spree at Santana High School.

In a scene reminiscent of Congress' reaction to the Columbine High School massacre two years ago, partisan differences emerged over what could be done to prevent similar tragedies. While several Democrats advocated stricter gun controls, one top Republican leader decried what he called "our tolerance for a culture of death."

The sponsor of the resolution, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-El Cajon, asked his colleagues "to not attach a political agenda to this occurrence until a month has gone by," out of respect for the mourning in Santee.

'We've got to overcome our fear' Full coverage of the Santana High School shooting

But the familiar divide between advocates and opponents of further gun control was apparent as nearly a dozen lawmakers took to the House floor to discuss the shootings.

"How many more lives must be lost before we elevate the sanctity of life above the political pressure of the gun lobby?" said Rep. Eva Clayton, D-N.C. "Who will be next? Must we wait before acting until a child of a member of Congress is shot or killed? I hope not. I pray not."

House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said, "It would be height of folly to suggest that we will prevent similar tragedies by simply erecting even more barriers to behavior and imposing ever more restrictions on our constitutional freedoms.

"I believe that our tolerance for a culture of death only serves to exacerbate those strains of evil present within persons who are predisposed to consider violent acts a viable statement."

Despite the rhetoric, the reaction in Congress to the shootings in Santee has been muted compared to the outcry following the Columbine rampage and similar incidents. Gun-control advocates appear to see little chance of moving their agenda given the Republican domination in Congress and the White House.

Hunter's resolution condemns the Santee shootings as "heinous atrocities." It also praises police, school faculty and others for their quick response to the shootings and calls for "a national dialogue on preventing school violence."

"The feeling in this Capitol when an event like this occurs is usually one of helplessness, because there's no legislation, there's no resolution, there's no law that can reverse what happened," Hunter said.