Larry Craig

Mr. CRAIG

Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, the Senator from Massachusetts is in the Chamber. In his absence, I offered the Frist-Craig amendment and spoke briefly to it as a true strengthening of current armor-piercing bullet legislation, to suggest very directly to the criminal element and the drug trafficking element in our country: If you use armor-piercing bullets and it wounds or takes the life of a law enforcement officer, we will put you away for life. I think that is about as clear and direct as we can become with the already strong prohibition that is in place for armor-piercing bullets that would be used in handguns. With that, I retain the remainder of my time.

Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, in response to the Senator from Massachusetts, his legislation goes at long guns, rifles, and their ammunition. What I did not say, with him coming back into the Chamber, is we do direct the Attorney General to look at, over a period of time, 2 years--no later than that--and report to the Senate Judiciary Committee, on which the Senator serves, a study to see whether what the Senator is proposing in his amendment wipes from the shelves of this country the kind of hunting ammunition we believe it will, and that certainly a good many others do. I am not insensitive to what the Senator is saying, but I am saying, let's get the facts. We do not want to wipe out half the hunting or two-thirds of the hunting ammunition and the target ammunition in this country. That is legitimate. It is law abiding. Does it get misused? Yes. Does some of it have armor-piercing capability, to some extent? Yes. Certainly this is what our intent is. In the meantime, let's toughen the law. Let's send the message to the criminal element in our country that armor-piercing ammunition is flat off limits or you pay a phenomenal price for it. Is it a deterrent? The Senator from Massachusetts would suggest it is not. In most instances, we find good, tough law enforcement, and a reality known by those who would commit crimes with this kind of ammunition in this country, does serve as a deterrent. That is the intent of the amendment. We believe it is a good amendment. I am prepared to yield back the remainder of my time if the Senator believes he has adequately covered this issue.

Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I thank the Senator. I too am prepared to yield back the remainder of our time. Let me conclude my comments by saying, it is not the role of the Attorney General of the United States to determine what can or cannot be used in this country as forms of ammunition. It is our job, if we are going to do it. And we should not do it. The marketplace has done it. The Senator has shaped legislation that has controlled types of it, and that has been supported. I do not think we need to get as arbitrary as some Attorneys General can be and have been in the past as it relates to what their vision is versus what we believe ought to be illegal or legal in this country. Our job is to make it the law. That is what we are about here at this moment. But it is important that we establish parameters and understandings clearly to determine the kinds of tests that are performance based in what they do to what is now currently legal ammunition in this country. With that, I yield back the remainder of my time, and ask that the Frist-Craig amendment be set aside to be considered on Tuesday next. I believe the next item under our unanimous consent is to move to Senator Cantwell for her amendment for an unemployment insurance extension.

Mr. CRAIG. Fine. I will take my time.

Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, pursuant to the unanimous consent agreement, I now ask unanimous consent that this amendment be set aside, and we will now move to the issue on voting rights.

Mr. CRAIG. I yield the floor.

Mr. CRAIG. Might I inquire how much time is remaining on either side?

Mr. CRAIG. Might I inquire of the Senator from Massachusetts if he has anyone further who wishes to speak in opposition to the Frist amendment?

Mr. CRAIG. Fine.

Mr. CRAIG. I do.

Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I think all of us prefer when we deal with certain subjects that all amendments to the underlying subject be germane. That isn't the way the Senate works. Certainly my colleague from Connecticut knows there are other amendments being discussed today that by no stretch of the imagination are germane. But this is a critical issue. It is timely. It is necessary. We speak to it. That is why the majority leader brought it to the floor. It is critical to our country that we continue to show our openness as we reach out and become inclusive with all of those who as citizens have the right to participate in the electoral process. That is exactly what we are about. We have one colleague who still wishes to speak. He will be here in moments. How much time remains?

Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I will put us into a quorum call for a few moments anticipating his arrival. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CRAIG. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, how much time remains on our side?

Mr. CRAIG. I yield the remainder of our time to the Senator from the State of Texas.

Mr. CRAIG. I thank my colleague from Texas. I inquire as to the time remaining on both sides.

Mr. CRAIG. The Senator from Idaho is prepared to yield back. The Senator from Massachusetts is prepared to do so.

Mr. CRAIG. I do not. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CRAIG. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote, and I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. CRAIG. We will move on now, under our unanimous consent request, to a Mikulski amendment, a Frist amendment, a Corzine amendment, a Frist amendment, and a Bingaman amendment. At this moment, I do not think we are quite ready to move on, so I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CRAIG. Does the Senator have other speakers?

Mr. CRAIG. Do you wish to proceed with them?

Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, may I inquire as to the time remaining on both sides of the Mikulski amendment?

Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, may I inquire as to the time?