H-2824.2  _______________________________________________

                     HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4016

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Representatives Carrell, Sullivan, Ballasiotes, Mielke, Sump, Carlson, Bush, Crouse, Buck, Dunn, D. Sommers, McDonald and Conway

Read first time .  Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Petitioning Congress to enact legislation to prohibit access by minors to information on how to make bombs through interstate commerce.

    TO THE HONORABLE WILLIAM J. CLINTON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

    We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

    WHEREAS, Violence, including violence in schools, is becoming an all too familiar part of everyday life in America; and

    WHEREAS, School property, including school buildings, school grounds, school‑sponsored activities, and conveyances providing transportation to schools and school‑sponsored activities should be safe places free from violent acts; and

    WHEREAS, The amount of gratuitous graphic violence children are exposed to in movies, television, videos, video games, computer games, and music and on the Internet has a desensitizing and destructive impact on American culture; and

    WHEREAS, Such violence has been shown to erode the personal constraints that family, church, and school have built up; and

    WHEREAS, Minors are given access to information on the Internet and other forums on how to make bombs from otherwise legal and easily obtainable materials and how to use them to commit terrible acts of violence; and

    WHEREAS, Such information contains instructions about creating explosive devices or substances with such specificity and sufficiency that a young person using the information is easily able to assemble a bomb and cause it to be detonated; and

    WHEREAS, Of the almost 11,000 incidents nationwide involving homemade bombs over the past few years, over 4,000 involved young people under the age of eighteen and the numbers are growing; and

    WHEREAS, Although there can be no perfect protections against random violence and other acts of evil, there are some actions that can be instituted to provide more security for students, parents, teachers, staff, administrators, and guests in schools; and

    WHEREAS, There is no right, constitutional or otherwise, to make or possess bombs and government should exercise its legitimate authority to protect the public and ensure the safety of its citizens; and

    WHEREAS, Federal legislation is needed that will prohibit interstate commerce in providing minors access to materials about making bombs whether on the Internet or other forums;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the Congress of the United States enact federal legislation that will prohibit interstate commerce in providing minors access to materials about making bombs.

    BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable William J. Clinton, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

                            --- END ---