[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 1082]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                            GUN ENFORCEMENT

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, earlier this week, President Clinton sent 
to Congress his budget proposal for the 2001 fiscal year.
  Among his initiatives is a proposal to improve the enforcement of 
federal firearm laws. Specifically, the President requests more than 
$280 million to provide law enforcement agencies with tools they need 
to reduce gun crime. The proposal includes funds to: improve the speed 
and accuracy of Brady background checks by upgrading State and local 
criminal history records; hire 500 new Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and 
Firearms (ATF) agents and inspectors; provide grants to hire 1,000 new 
federal, state and local gun prosecutors; implement a comprehensive 
crime gun tracing program; and support local anti-gun violence media 
campaigns.
  I believe this is an important initiative in the fight against gun 
violence, and I applaud the President's commitment to this issue. I 
hope that during this Session, Congress will support full funding for 
this aggressive gun enforcement initiative, and will act to close 
loopholes in our federal firearm laws that give young people and felons 
easy access to guns.

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