Rumor: Columbine Parent’s Speech 12 Years Later

A report that one of the Columbine parents recently gave a speech to a special session of Congress. Is this true or false?

The speech is real, but the description of it is mostly false.

Let’s take a look at what is being shared:

COLUMBINE STUDENT’S FATHER 12 YEARS LATER!!

Guess our national leaders didn’t expect this. On Thursday, 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.

They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. 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 &evil in the hearts 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 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.

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, mind, 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 presences 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 so doing, 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 erode away 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.

“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 daughter’s death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!”
– Darrell Scott

Do what the media did not – – let the nation hear this man’s speech. Please share this with your FB friends!

Let’s take a look at some of the claims made by those circulating this story:

• Text: The text of the speech is accurate.
• Date: The speech was given on May 27, 1999, not 12 years later.
• Special Session: The words were spoken before a House Judiciary Committee’s crime sub-committee in room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building. This was not a “special session of Congress.”
• Not Well-Received. There are no descriptions in news reports from this event of a negative reception by those in attendance. Scott was, in fact, asked to testify by the panel’s Republican members who likely endorsed most, if not all, of what he said.
• Ignored by media: Scott’s appearance was in fact covered by the Associated Press and picked up by several newspapers around the country.

It should be noted that the speech above was covered along with a separate event the same day featuring Al Gore and about a dozen other House Democrats. At this event was a Virginia mother, Byrl Phillips-Taylor, whose son had been killed in 1992 by a classmate with an AK-47. Her appearance as a gun control activist contrasted the views given by Darrell Scott.
Note: Phillips-Taylor did not appear at the same House sub-committee as Darrell Scott, as some other debunking sites have inaccurately claimed. 

We have spotted this circulating in June 2013 virtually unchanged above, but some versions no longer say “12 years later.”

Bottom Line
Darrell Scott’s speech did happen, but it was not 12 years later and it was not to the chagrin of those who invited him.

Sources:
Kellman, Laurie (Associated Press). “Gore sees Republicans plotting with NRA against  gun control.”
Spartanburg Herald-Journal. May 28, 1999. p, A8.