_{On Thursday, May 27, 1999, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a}

_{victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado,}

_{was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee.}

_{What he said to our national leaders during this special session of}

_{Congress was painfully truthful. It needs to be heard by every parent,}

_{every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist,}

_{and every so-called expert!}

_{These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful,}

_{penetrating and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this}

_{man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of}

_{the transcript:}

_{"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good and evil in the}

_{heart of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the}

_{seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott,}

_{and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who}

_{died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers. The first}

_{recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the}

_{field. The villain was not the the club he used. Neither was it the NCA,}

_{the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason}

_{for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.}

_{In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how}

_{quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not}

_{a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am}

_{not here to represent or defend the NRA--because I don't believe that}

_{they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore, I do not}

_{believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything}

_{to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent. I am}

_{here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy--it was a}

_{spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real}

_{blame lies!}

_{Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind}

_{the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just}

_{four nights ago that expresses my feelings best. This was written way}

_{before I knew I would be speaking here today.}

_{Your laws ignore our deepest needs}

_{Your words are empty air}

_{You've stripped away our heritage}

_{You've outlawed simple prayer}

_{Now gunshots fill our classrooms}

_{And precious children die}

_{You seek for answers everywhere}

_{And ask the question "why"}

_{You regulate restrictive laws}

_{Through legislative creed}

_{And yet you fail to understand}

_{That God is what we need!}

_{Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, soul, and}

_{spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we}

_{create a void that allows evil, prejudice and hatred to rush in and}

_{wreak havoc. Spiritual influences were present within our educational}

_{systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges}

_{began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has}

_{happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in doing}

_{so, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as}

_{terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs--politicians immediately look for}

_{a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more}

_{restrictive laws that contribute to the erosion of our personal and}

_{private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan}

_{would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws}

_{can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The}

_{real villain lies within our own hearts. Political posturing and}

_{restrictive legislation are not the answers. The young people of our}

_{nation hold the key. There is a spiritual awakening taking place that}

_{will not be squelched! We do not need more religion! We do not need more}

_{gaudy television evangelists spewing out verbal religious garbage. We do}

_{not need more million dollar church buildings built while people with}

_{basic needs are being ignored. We do need a change of heart and a humble}

_{acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of a simple}

_{trust in God!}

_{As my son, Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his}

_{two friends murdered before his very eyes--he did not hesitate to pray}

_{in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I}

_{challenge every young person in America, and around the world, to}

_{realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School--prayer was}

_{brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by}

_{those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a}

_{sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God--given right to}

_{communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the}

_{NRA--I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your own heart}

_{before casting the first stone! My daughters death will not be in vain.}

_{The young people of this country will not allow that to happen."}