like my son, michael, trayvon was an innocent victim of ethnic profiling, the blacks and dangerous for the mindset that fosters easy and available guns -- the lax and dangerous mindset, and a license to kill. to our administration and legislate tors -- i say, never again. [applause] >> omar. samaha >> thank you for being here today. my sister was a member of the contemporary dance ensemble and active in many clubs and activities. like all those killed on april 16th, she was so full of promise and had a bright future. then she sat in cheapest the

profile of someone who would be murdered by an illegal gun it? the truth is there is no standard profile. gun violence affects all americans from all walks of life. 32 americans are murdered every day with guns. over the past five years, i have been working to prevent gun violence. i have had the opportunity to travel from city to city, town to town meeting with law enforcement, mayors, doctors, even nra members about gun violence and are broken background check system in particular. in pennsylvania, a medic in his 18 month old child was killed as their father build up the gas tank. one mother in chicago had honor student child never come home because he shielded a friend on the bus. i have met people for every walk of life. there's no one immune to gun

violence in america. the girl from minneapolis who lost her childhood friend said it best when she said it is not about good kids, bad kids, race or class. this is a real problem. gun violence is not an urban issue. it is a nationwide issue. i went undercover to a gun show in richmond to see just how easy it is to buy a gun without a background check. i bought 10 in under an hour, no questions asked, no id shown. it was as easy as going to convenience store and buying a candy bar. we are allowing anyone to do that. felons, domestic users, those adjudicated mentally ill and potential terrorists. i have seen overwhelming support from everyday citizens to enact reasonable measures and enforce existing laws that would

help prevent gun violence. to fix our national database and require background checks, their simple steps, but they will help save lives. seven out of 10 and are rain -- nra members and 9 out of 10 americans support this. i'm doing this so others will not have to go through the same pain, loss, and suffering that my family and some others have experienced. 32 families go through what we have gone through and still go through each and every day. when i was in iowa city, i met an administrator who was there during the shootings in 1991 nearly 20 years ago and she shared a "with me. it was as if the tragedy had just occurred. "it is like dropping an enormous need your into a lake. it creates ways that ripple for a long time and changes the shape of the shore.

eventually the surface is smooth again, but underneath, everything is changed forever and people swamped by the waves are never the same." for the past five years, many of us effected on april 16th have worked tirelessly to prevent this from occurring to others. we have implored the help of congress only to be shut out and ignored as 32 or more americans are murdered with guns every day and and mass shootings have become "normal." i have been saddened and shocked to see an apathetic congress it idly by even as gun violence stroke one of their own in tucson. today, we are calling on our congressional members to join us. the voice of moderation, asking for the enforcement of existing laws, laws that respect the second amendment rights and

help keep us safer from gun violence. please join us now on the fifth anniversary of april 16th to help us put an end to the tragic old gun violence has on our country. please sign the statement of principle. thank you. [applause] >> for those who have not spoken yet, i think we will need to keep it a little short just because we have some very important meetings to get to, but we do what everyone to be able to share their stories. kim. seagall that i pronounced it right? >> no. segalethis is my friend, patrick. i wear a necklace that has his fingerprint on it. on july 24th, 2010, my 23-year- old son was shot point-blank in the left eye with a 22 caliber pistol. at 6:58 p.m., he was declared brain dead.

the person that murdered my son was a convicted child sex offender who should have never had a gun. he had already shown that he had no regard for the loss he had already violated and was sent back to prison for parole violation. i have never been a proponent of the guns, but i always respected people's rights to own a gun waffling and completing a handgun licensing course. prior to patrick's murder, i was not aware of the various ways a convicted felon could get a gun. now, unfortunately, i am more knowledgeable and have the desire to close the loopholes so another mom does not have to bury her only son. as part of me died that day, july 24th, 2010. [applause] >> thank you. josh.

stepicoff. >> on august 10th, 1999, a neo- nazi walked into the north valley jewish community center in a suburb of los angeles. i was only a few feet away from him when he unleashed 70 rounds shooting me and four other people come at terrorizing dozens of small children. i was in six years old. i got hit twice, one breaking my leg, the other narrowly missing my spine. many people remember the gripping images of innocent preschoolers. walked across the street with armed swat officers. a short time later, the gunman who shot me traveled and shot a filipino american mailman. he was a hate-filled white supremacist intent on killing jews. he had a history of mental illness and of violent behavior. yet, he had an arsenal of

weapons and weapons purchased without a background check. so many lives were altered that day because of our inadequate regulation. a comprehensive background check system could have prevented a dangerous person like him from obtaining lethally dangerous weapons. almost 300 people were killed and injured by guns of a single day, more than 1 million people in the 10 years that i have been shot. nothing has been done about this issue and i am here to call on our nation's leaders to help us move toward a safer community. thank you very much. [applause] >> carolyn. tuft. >> hello. my name is carolyn. tuft. five years ago, my family's life was shattered. a teenager walk into a salt lake

city gun shop and purchased a gun, walked out, and the gun that he never should have owned, he was too young to legally buy a gun but the pawn shop sold it to him anyway. used it to open fire in a crowded salt lake city mall. he shot me three times with a pistol grip shotgun and killed by people including my vibrant 15-year-old daughter. it has been five years, yet for me every day is filled with the pain i have from that terrible moment. i suffer from chronic severe pain and sickness from the permanent lead poisoning from the hundreds of lead pellets in my kidney, lung lining, and stomach. before i was shot, i was a cyclist and road 20-50 miles per day. we hike, bike, and iran regularly. i was a fantastic konk cook for all the teenagers that would

congregate at my house. we were a very close family, always out and active. now, a struggle every day just to get out of bed from the lead poisoning and sickness. i do not cook anymore because of the non ship. -- najee - nausea. i think about my bike every day, but i rarely summon enough energy to write it. my kids have all moved away. kristen was our glue, the baby of the family whom everyone loved, everyone everywhere that she met. she was sunshine and happiness. she had a laugh that envelop to into laughing with her. not a day goes by that she is not with me and i do not think about her constantly. she has missed some a milestones of her own, but the gun shop that sold the gun, they got to keep the profits, and are

still selling guns. is it worth the few dollars a profit? white our gun laws so weak that dangerous people can so easily obtain them? i'm here because i do not want another mom to lose a try to gunfire. i'm here today because nobody should have to separate the emotional daly pain and memory of five years ago today that left lead shrapnel in my body. and your to call on congress to pass a common sense the gun laws to keep guns away from dangerous people. [applause] >> sergeant yvonne vann. >> thank you. you will remember me because i still serve and protect in san antonio, texas.

my husband was shot and killed in an ambush-style shooting while stopped at a red light while responding to a non- emergency call on may 28th, 2011. remember that day. a car pulled up next to his patrol car and on the passenger side, immediately opened fire and with no warning. my husband was struck numerous and multiple times with an assault rifle. his patrol car rolled through the intersection and was stopped by crash barriers. he was dead instantly. my husband was a u.s. marine corps gulf veterans and had served with the bare county sheriff's office over 24 years. we had always been service

oriented, whether with our country or community. just like those of you that hold offices, you were hoping to serve your communities and your country. service is our common bond, the thread and a foundation that has made this country and its citizens what we are today. you, i, we, the people here, are all here today to request that you serve the citizens of this country in your communities by not allowing convicted felons, convicted domestic abusers come and and noon or suspected terrorists, and people found to be dangerously or mentally ill to buy, own, or carry a gun anywhere in our great nation. do your country and its citizens a great service. help us in law enforcement keep these streets safe.

there was an act to not allow assault rifles to be purchased by the public but it was only good for 10 years. we want that re-enacted. the general public does not need assault rifles. keep them in the hands of the people who do come a military and law-enforcement. keep our streets safe. we lost a good one that day. may 28th, 2011. i will be back up here in washington, d.c., for national police week and i challenge those here on capitol hill to face me based face and tell me there was nothing you could have done to have stopped my husband's death. thank you. [applause] >> suzanne.

verge. the want to talk about it? >> i'm good. danelle williams? >> next. >> good afternoon. i live in austin, texas. my sister carol lived in austin, texas. on july 25th, 1994, she was in her own home asleep. around 3:45 a.m., a young man by the name of timothy francs was 19-years old. he walked up on her porch and made just enough noise for her to get up and go to this door. when she headed towards the door, he opened fire. she never even opened the door. she took two bullets and died on the other side. i'm honored to be here today with the 32 to go to congress and the man that they change this law.

those of you at home, if you go to bradycampaign,org, see what you can do to help us. it has not happened to the people in congress and they do not feel what we feel which is why they are not willing to change the law. thank you. [applause] >> anybody that we missed? yes? >> my name is suzanne and i am from santa monica, calif., and i am here in the memory of my brother. he was 18 and i was 15 when he was murdered. none of us should be here today. this is unacceptable. [applause] >> i just want to make it clear and then we will take the minutes of questions because we do have to run to a meeting. there will be 32 people here taking their voice to congress to speak on behalf of the loved ones they lost.

it is not just 32 people that are represented in congress that day. it is not just the victims. it is the voice of the american people. the brady organization is the citizens of becoming the voice of the american public on gun violence. it is not just a bunch of activists or victims, but the american public that is going to start holding our leaders accountable for the decisions they make that are costing lives. they put the gun in george zimmerman's hands, many of the hands that caused these tragedies we heard of today and we will hold them accountable. [applause] any questions? >> to have wage your battle. now you have trayvon martin. the think any of that will change a thing is in view of his issue moving forward?

>> we are very hopeful that the tragedy of trayvon martin will be different. it is not just an example of the american public temporarily being concerned about one tragedy of gun violence. the trayvon martin tragedy points directly to the culpability of the gun lobby and the legislatures that do their bidding in terms of putting guns in the hands of dangerous people. we blame george zimmerman for shooting trayvon martin, but we blame the gun lobby of the florida politicians to do their bidding for putting the gun in his hands that he was carrying that night, an armed man with a violent past and an arrest record, illegally carrying a loaded hidden gun that he had used to take that life. we intend to take this and hang it around the neck of the politicians that have passed these laws of the gun lobby advocating these laws across the country and demonstrating their culpability.

this ad, "i am the nra," and trying to portray that as the agenda of the gun lobby. george zimmerman is the nra. is the creation of a politician to have done their bedding and we need to take the hot rage focused around this tragedy and hold their leaders accountable. i do believe that this one is different. anything else? do we want everyone to sign these now? what we're going to do now is to get all the 32 here to start by signing this statement of

principle. to remind you, this is the very simple statement that we will be asking our elected officials to sign. do you or do you not believe that the people listed on this list should be able to buy a gun, kerry, -- buy or carry a gun anywhere in our country? thank you.

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89 >> up next, remarks from mitt romney in philadelphia. on "washington journal" a recent report on the general services administration live at the top of the hour here on c- span. following the killing of florida teenager trayvon martin, a senate judiciary subcommittee will hold a hearing on racial

profiling today. the panel will also look at immigration laws in alabama and arizona. we will have live coverage at 10:00 a.m. eastern on cspan 3. republican presidential candidate mitt romney spoke yesterday in philadelphia at the independence hall tea party association's tax day event. pennsylvania upholds their primary on tuesday may 4, the same day as our rhode island. ♪ ♪ >> thank you, what a welcome. thank you, thank you, please. [applause] thank you, what a welcome from

the tea party and thanks to mike for his leadership. to this group here, i owe a special thanks -- the independence hall tea party act. you guys were the first tea party pac the nation to endorse me and i appreciate your help, thank you. [applause] michael, i appreciate you bringing tea party members from the tristate area together. just heard senator joe carrillo, he will be a u.s. senator sen. he is a terrific guy. thank you. [applause] i am as from time to time what it is like running for president. i had not expected to have a great privilege of doing this and i find myself having the time of my life. yes, there are challenges and days to get beat up a newspaper and you don't worry about because you don't read it. [laughter] ann and i talk about the great

experiences we have had and the people we have met. the good news is that america is not just made up of the people you see on the news who by and large have done something unusual and that's why they're in the news. typically what they have been done has not been real good and that is also why they are in the news. i had the chance to meet every day americans living their lives in states across the country and i come away with more confidence and more optimism about our future because americans are patriotic. we love this country. we understand the principles of freedom that created this country. [applause] we also are very on carper norial people. -- we're also very entrepreneur ial people.

jobwoman's husband lost his any took a class in upholstery and now they have 40 people that work for them making upholstered products. [applause] i was in one factory and dies i recall, couple of hundred workers, norm bern's factory . he has plaques of his patents. he has electrical products he makes, over 100 patents. i estimate he went to graduate school engineering and he did not. i ask him about his undergraduate degree and he did not do that either. he was just an entrepreneur, an innovator and by virtue of his skill and insights and his dreams, he was able to build a business and employ hundreds of people. i met another fellow lost his job or left it in an advertising agency. he and his son decided to start a business making amplifiers for electric guitars.

four people in total work in their business or did. i just marvel at the nature of american harter per norship and innovation -- american entrepreneurship. the last three or four years of not been good. these have been tough times. we have had 38 straight months with unemployment above 8%. the president said if we let them borrow $787 billion, we would not have employment -- the unemployment above 8%. we have the longest period of long-term unemployment, the worst long-term unemployment record we have seen in america's history. home values have dropped in some places by 1/3 or more. the median income in america in the last four years has dropped by 10%.

even as gasoline prices have now doubled and people are paying more for health care, obviously been in part because of obama care. the american people are struggling now and we have a president that does not seem to understand that he has been part of the problem, not part of the solution. he's got these ideas. his big idea now is this buffet rule. [boos] someone calculated that the taxes he would raise with the buffet role would pay for 11 hours of the government. this is not exactly a grand idea. this man is out of ideas. he is out of excuses and in 2012 will make sure he gets put out of office. [applause] [chanting mitt]

i just don't think he understands the power of what makes america such a unique and acceptable nation. i traveled around to different countries and the remark at some point at the enormous differences in the economic vitality of nations right next door to each other. i wondered why that was pretty why is america so economically powerful and mexico so much poorer? why is israel such a power house economically and egypt is so far away? then i read a book by a former professor. it was called," the wealth and

poverty of nations, "and he tracks the history of civilization is that grew to become dominant, powerful, and then how they declined. after about 500 pages of analysis, he says roughly these words -- he said if you can learn anything at all from the history of the economic development of the world it is this -- culture makes all the difference, what people believe, their principles, what motivates them, what guides them -- that makes all the difference in the world. [applause] and a culture of america, the principles of america, we are established by founders like that one. when they wrote the declaration of independence and constitution, there inside suggested boat that they were brilliant and inspired. they rowed wars that changed america and made as exceptional and changed the world. they said the creator and does

with our rights, not the government, not the king, not the state but the creator. [applause] among those rights were life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. we would be free in this nation with personal freedoms. we would have the capacity to elect people to represent us in government. that is liberty but then we would also have the right to pursue happiness as we choose. rather than having the government guide their course in life or the circumstance of birth determining what we could achieve, americans would be free to pursue their dreams. some of the greatest success stories in american history are people we started off with nothing but an idea and a corner in the garage. they built enterprises that employ the hundreds, even thousands of other americans.

this freedom has propelled america to be the most powerful economy in the world and the reason this president has such a hard time understanding what it takes to get the economy going again is he does not understand the power and impact of economic freedom. [applause] piece by piece, he has waged war and economic freedom in this country. when you have a government that every year adds $1 trillion to the debt, you are crushing the freedom of the next generation. when you have a government like this one that says that want to raise taxes from 35% to 40% -- by the way, do you know what proportion of our private sector work force works in businesses that are taxed at the individual tax rate? it is that 35 percent rate that

he wants to take to 40%. it is 55%. you raise that tax rate, you will kill jobs. it kills economic freedom. [applause] there is vice president joe biden -- [laughter] he has proposed a new global tax. i'm not quite sure what it will look what but he likes the idea of a global tax. the president is going across the nation campaigning to raise taxes on. on investment. taxes by their definition limit our freedom. they should be as small as possible and do those things that are absolutely essential like protecting our national security, providing for our schools, caring for those who cannot care [applause] for]

who cannot care for themselves. [applause] raising taxes affects our economic freedom. regulation -- you have to have regulation to make a marketplace work. you have to have rules and regulations. but regulations that get too large can overwhelm the enterprises that you are trying to encourage. when our friends in washington pass a bill known as dodd-frank because they say they are concerned about the too big to fill bags, they don't understand what they did makes it harder not on the big banks but on the community banks. then make it harder for them to renegotiate with, as a vacant stay in their homes. they make it harder for small banks to compete. what has happened since dodd- frank? the bigger banks got bigger and the community banks have been the ones most badly hurt. we are seeing an insinuation of regulators throughout our economy making it harder and

harder for enterprises to accomplish their mission and put people to work, crushing economic freedom. we built an interstate highway system once. we built the hoover dam. today we cannot even build a pipeline, for pete's sake [applause] there was a time were known as the manufacturing headquarters of the world, the largest exporter in the world and we are now known for being lawsuit capital of the world. there was a time our schools were so superb that our kids for the best educated in the world. now, 1/2 of all the kids in our 50 largest cities will not graduate from high school. it is just criminal to see what has happened as a result of policies were washington gets larger and larger and does not respect the power and impact of free enterprise and freedom. president obama thinks the

economy is struggling because the stimulus was not enough. because the economy is struggling because government is too big and we will bring it down to size. [applause] this campaign is just getting going. will the fund. -- it will be fun. [applause] the contrast could not be bigger. he said the other day this will be defining election and that is one thing i agree with. we have a very different vision for america. my vision says that we cannot keep spending more than we take an. it is time to cut cap and balanced the budget. [applause] people say how will you do that. you start off by taking all the

programs we have and say which of them can't we just slowed their rate of growth? which ones can we eliminate? the first on the list as obama care. let's get rid of that one. [applause] there are other programs we will keep because they are important but we are not going to have them run at the federal level. we will send them back to the states where the states can determine how to structure them, had to fashion them to meet the needs of their own people. for instance, do you know how many federal work force training programs we have? 49 -- 49 reporting to eight different agencies.

take the money and send it back to the states and let the states craft their own programs for their own people. [applause] by the way, what is left, bring it down to size, make it smaller. we have too many federal employees through attrition and i will cut by at least 10% and want to link the pay of government workers with the pay that exists in the private sector. [applause] the president wants to raise taxes. i want to lower taxes. i want 20% across-the-board reduction in taxes and a simplification plant. [applause] the president as a deal and energy. he said the other day he liked all of the above. i thought about that for a moment. maybe what he means is he likes

all the sources of energy that are above the ground. [laughter] we like wind and solar, too, but we like the sources of energy below the ground like oil and natural gas. we will become. become. [applause] energy independent. [applause] i don't know that there has been a presidency more attuned to the people that provided money to his party which are the public unions, the private sector unions, the trial lawyers. he has been doing their bidding by saying we will not open up new markets for american markets in the last 3.5 years. china and the european union and other nations have opened up 44 trade agreements with other nations and we have opened up nine. the three we got were negotiated by his predecessor, george w. bush. [applause] no question the unions don't

like these trade agreements. then of course you have the decision by the national labor relations board tell boeing that you cannot build a factory i retort state. that is what the special interests told them to do and he took some of your money to invest in some businesses of the people who contributed to his campaigns. people say he likes to pick winners and losers. i say he just likes to pick losers. [applause] the right course for america's economy is not to have the government trying to guide the economy and pick winners and losers were about to the special interests that paid for their campaign. the right course for america's economy is to return to consumer-driven free markets and i will get the job done. [applause]

the president says he wants to transform america. i don't want to transform america. i want to restore to america the principles that made discreet the hope of the earth. [applause] -- that made us the hope of the earth. [applause] if i am so fortunate that i can become president of this great country, i will endeavor to unite america again [applause] i will not do as this president is doing it, dividing it at every occasion, attacking one american after another, trying to find a scapegoat or someone who by virtue of attacking them can divert from his failures economically. i will bring america together because i believe we are one nation under god. [applause]

if i am so fortunate to become president, i will not apologize for success here at home. [applause] i will certainly not apologize for america's success abroad. [applause] this nation has done more to free people from tyranny and help lift people out of poverty by virtue of the principle that these great founders had in mind and shared it with the world that any other nation in the history -- we have no reason to apologize for the greatness of america. [applause]

the founders expected us to not only live by the principles about which they wrote but also to preserve them and protect them and over the centuries, over 1 million men and women have paid the ultimate sacrifice, made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of those principles and those freedoms. it is an image in my mind as i recognize that the great majority of the people in this country, i think all the people in this country, reviewer those who have fought and died for the preservation of our liberty. i remember i was serving as the governor of my state towards the end of my term and we got a call from the air force saying that the remains of one of our soldiers killed in iraq, as i recall, was being sent back to massachusetts. he was coming in on a u.s. airways flight and the parents

had been called but they lived too far away to get to the airport to receive the body and they wondered if i could come in stead because my office was closed to the airport and i said of course. we drove to the airport and drove out on the tarmac with a police escort and the u.s. airways jet can in and stopped at the terminal in boston and the people got off the aircraft and then the luggage came down the conveyor belt and then the casket appeared and came down the conveyor belt. i put my hand over my heart and the state troopers i was with saluted. as i was there, very emotional, happens to look up at the terminal, the big glass wall there in boston, the terminal has this huge glass wall for u.s. airways and its in the people who got off the aircraft had seen all the police cars on the tarmac so they all lined up against the window to see what was going on. then the people walking down all getting to their flights or

going home saw the people lined up against the glass so they crowded in behind and buried it was quite a crowd. every person i saw had their hand on their part. heart. we are patriotic people. we love this country. when i think of america, like of our future, i think of scenes like that where we come together. we need a president will not attack fellow americans, will bring us together -- [applause] you know, it is always made me feel a little taller and stand a

little straighter as i'm sure it as you, to know we have a gift that no one in the world. we are america, something we have always known and people around the world know there's a very special about america. means something different to each of us but it means something special to all the. today there are some who question that around the world and maybe some among us question that. we are bringing back that confidence and that commitment that i love in america. [applause] and making sure that destiny is consistent with the principles of our great founding and we are doing that because we believe in american. we believe in the principles that made this nation to nation in this. we love america. we will bring it back because of our conviction in the. i need your help. i need to make sure that those who believe in those principles are willing to work and stand up and make sure we take back this

great country and keep america as it has always been -- the hope of the earth. thank you so much. you guys are terrific, thank you. [applause] ♪ ♪ [born free by kid rock] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> this year's studentcam competition past students took part of the constitution was important to them. the second prize winner selected the eighth amendment ban on a question about texas, your state has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times.

>> did you just hear that? let's take a second look. >> your state has executed 234 death row inmates, more than any other governor in modern times. [applause] >> when i see this clip, it makes me wonder what the world is coming to. there is a loss of many lives, the what the president has done. >> i stand by the constitution because if you commit more heinous crimes, he deserves a punishment. >> is the death penalty moral? >> is the death penalty racist? >> does the death penalty make us safer? >> does the death penalty -- is the death penalty morally right or wrong. >> the eight costs -- the eighth amendment says it should not be

required. >> here is one of the reports -- justice: it is talking about why the death penalty does not count as cruel and unusual punishment. >> no american ever voted to adopt a constitutional provision that eliminated that as option. the living constitutionalists will say times change and is up to me to decide what is good coral and unusual punishment. that is a constitution that has no bite to. >> we went to new york to be interviewed a representative from the innocence project for ishee agreed the constitution does not call the death penalty: unusual punishment. >> our supreme court has found that the death penalty is fine under our constitution. so far, our supreme court has

found that the death penalty does not meet cruel and unusual punishment. there have been instances where certain methods of executions have been challenged. we have moved forward in terms of it being unconstitutional to execute juveniles. it is unconstitutional to execute people or mentally retarded. in the past decade or so, the supreme court has moved in that direction. there is a narrow class of punishments that should not be available to people of mental retardation. all people of mental retardation have limitations. >> let's take a look at the second question -- is the death penalty racist? >> the constitution says most states will not deprive a person of life, liberty or due process without benefit l ofaw. >> the problem with the death

penalty in america and anywhere in the world is that we are a system of human beings. there is absolutely no way to be sure that we are always right and who we identify as the perpetrator of crimes. there is no way to apply the death penalty at least in a system we have currently employed. >> most people get executed in texas and most people get executed u.s. killed somebody. blacks and whites are victims of homicide in about equal numbers in the u.s. in the history of the modern death penalty in the u.s. -- 80% of the people who have been executed have been executed for killing a white. paris and that tells you everything you need to know about whether the

death penalty regime is a racist regime. >> people think this is racist. we need to make sure we have the right perpetrator. >> i understand where you're coming from but there is a big difference between getting a ticket and executing someone. you can never take a life back. >> let's look at the last question -- does the death penalty make a statement? >> the statistics say it does not make us safer. >> that is a very intense question. my heart tells me know. but my mind sometimes tells me yes. when i, as a mother, think of something happening to my

children and someone does something to hurt them, my first thought is that they pay for it. >> do you support the death penalty? >> we have no right to take a life no matter how dirty that person is. >> if you face -- if you commit a crime, you make -- you need to do the time. >> i would sayno mainly because i would hate to be convicted of a crime and the venice and and be on death row. >> people can be executed without due process. >> people rallied t aroundroy's case and wondered how society like ours connects to a potentially innocent man whereupon america could finally join the ranks of the other industrialized nations of the

world that have barred the use of this barbaric form of punishment. >> let's go back to the beginning of the debate. >> have you struggled to sleep that night with the idea that any one of those might have been in a sense? >> no, sir, i have never struggled with that at all. when someone commits the most heinous of crimes against our citizens, they get a fair hearing, they go there and appellate process, they go up to the supreme court of united states if that's required. in the state of texas, if you come into our state and you kill one of our children or a police officer, you are involved with another crime and you kill one of our citizens, you will face the ultimate justice in the state of texas and that is you will be executed. >> what do you think?

thank you for watching. >> go to studentcam.org to watch all the winning videos and continue the conversation at our facebook and twitter pages. >> the house is in a 10:00 eastern and this afternoon to work on a measure that requires the bureau of land management to open some public lands for hunting and fishing. live as coverage here on c-span. the senate will work on legislation to restructure the u.s. postal service. the senate is live on c-span 2 per it on c-span 3, a senate judiciary subcommittee will hold hearings on racial profiling. we will have live coverage at 10:00 a.m. eastern. this hour, republican senator ross will join us to talk about a report and wasteful spending by the general services administration. then the democratic