mr. speaker , i yield myself such time as i may consume . 
as we bring debate on this rule to a close , i must stress the importance of strengthening our communities ' efforts against gang crime . 
like other forms of organized crime , gangs are at the center of drug violence , identity theft , bank robberies and many of the deadly shootings we read about in the local papers . 
we need to act in one strong voice to indicate that our laws have a purpose , that our prosecutors and law enforcement officers mean business . 
gangs are a national problem , and they will not go away by simply putting them into an arts and crafts program or opening up a gymnasium to let them play midnight basketball . 
we can prevent the formation of gangs by strengthening our families , and we can deter their crimes by breaking their organization and putting them in jail . 
gangs are no longer simply found in the largest cities but have made their way into our rural and suburban communities as well . 
gangs are a problem which need a resolution because the cost is in human lives . 
one of the more important aspects of the gang deterrence and community protection act is mandatory minimum sentencing . 
with mandatory sentencing , law enforcement will gain leverage over the lower-level gang members , leverage that will put pressure on a gang member to `` roll over '' on their leadership . 
with cooperation comes the ability to take down an entire gang network , which is the desired effect of this legislation . 
if there is no threat of doing hard time , there is no incentive to cooperate with law enforcement investigators . 
in fact , minimal sentencing of much shorter time is often viewed by low-level 16- and 17-year-old gang members as a badge of honor , so-called `` earning mr. speaker , mandatory sentencing , this is not a new concept . 
in fact , the child abduction prevention act of 2002 contained 20-year mandatory minimums for child abductions and earned the support of 178 democrats at final passage . 
mandatory minimum sentences were part of the 2003 protect act , which passed this body by a vote of 400 to 25 . 
the identity theft penalty enhancement act contained mandatory minimum sentences , and it passed on suspension . 
an amendment to the intelligence bill that contained mandatory minimum sentencing to assure appropriate penalties for serious offenses such as possession of atomic , biological and chemical weapons passed 385 to 30 . 
mandatory minimum sentencing has been widely supported by this house and i believe works to deter crime . 
getting tough on crime requires tough and uniform enforcement . 
we can not mr. speaker , i urge support for this rule and passage of the underlying bill . 
