美国有线新闻 CNN 2013-03-04

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We begin, though, tonight with a father's tearful plea, Do something so that no dad, no parent ever has to feel inside the way he is feeling tonight. Do something so that no parent ever has to walk pass a son or daughter's empty room. Do something. Neil Heslin's son Jesse was taken from him at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, on the 14th of December, Jesse and 19 other children killed.

Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee heard testimony¹ on stopping the next Newtown. It heard from Neil Heslin himself, it's not just about the enormity of the tragedy but the heartbreaking simplicity² of the moments leading up to it. Ordinary moments between a father and son, the kind, you take for granted, because you asume there'll be many many more.

"Morning of December 14th, Jesse stopped at a deli, Mr.Vildeli, you got his favourite sandwich, sausage, egg and cheese on a hard roll. And he ordered to me one. He always want, would always do that, I'd get a coffee, Jesse would get what he called a coffee, but it was a hot chocolate. We proceeded to the school, it was 9:04 when I dropped Jesse off. The school clocked. Jesse gave a hug and kiss at that time and said goodbye and I love you, he stopped and said I love mom, too. That was the last I saw our Jesse as he ducked around the corner. Prior to that when he was getting out of the truck he hugged and held me, that I can still feel that hug and pat on the back, he said everything'll be ok, dad. It'll all be ok, and it wasn't ok."

It certainly was not ok, lawmakers now seemed at odds³ about how to prevent the next gun massacre⁴, they're fighting over an assault weapons ban, as you know, limiting magazines, capacity, even expanding background checks something the National Rifle Association once favored and now opposes. There was a fierce argument over that state between Milwaukee police chief Edward Flynn and South Carolina Republican senator Lindsey Graham.

"Almost 80,000 people fail a background check, and 44 people are prosecuted⁵, what kind of deterrent⁶ is that, I mean, the law obviously isn't seeing that as important if it's such an important issue, why aren't we prosecuting⁷ people who fail a background check and there are 15 questions there, they are not hard to understand if you're filling out of the form, so I'm a bit frustrated⁸, that we say one thing, how important it is, but in the real world, we absolutely do nothing to enforce the laws on the books. Now, let's talk."

"I mean, Just for the record, from my point of view, senator, the purpose of background check,"

"How many cases have you made? How many cases..."

"You know what ya, it doesn't matter, it's a paper thing,(well) I want to stop the 76,(Can I ask a question?,enough is enough~~~) I want to finish the answer.(Well, no, I'm asking,,) I want to stop 76,000 people from buying guns illegally, that's what background check does.(How many AR-15s you legally own?) You think we're going to do paperwork prosecutions,(applause) you're, you're wrong."

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