[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 218 (Wednesday, November 12, 1997)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 60637-60638]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-29907]


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                         Presidential Documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 218 / Wednesday, November 12, 1997 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 60637]]

                Proclamation 7049 of November 6, 1997

                
National Day of Concern About Young People and 
                Gun Violence, 1997

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On this day in America, as on every other day, children 
                will die by gunfire, and many of them will be killed 
                because other children are pulling the trigger. This is 
                a stark and sad reality and a call to each of us, not 
                only to raise public awareness of a national tragedy, 
                but also to do everything within our power to end the 
                killing.

                There is some encouraging news. The Department of 
                Justice recently reported that violent crime among 
                youths dropped by more than 9 percent in 1996. However, 
                we still have a long way to go in our efforts to save 
                lives and help ensure a brighter future for our 
                children.

                One of my Administration's highest law enforcement 
                priorities is to protect our children from violent 
                crime, and we are especially concerned with stopping 
                crimes committed by young people. I am pleased that 
                eight of the Nation's largest gun manufacturers have 
                responded to my Administration's call to provide child 
                safety lock devices with every handgun they sell. We 
                proposed a $60 million increase for the Safe and Drug-
                Free Schools Program this year, which reaches almost 
                all of our Nation's school districts. These funds will 
                help communities protect students from violence. My 
                Administration also proposed funding for after-school 
                initiatives in communities across the country to give 
                our young people something positive to say yes to, to 
                keep them off the streets, and to keep them out of 
                trouble. Through our Anti-Gang and Youth Violence 
                Strategy, we are working to provide for more 
                prosecutors and probation officers, tougher penalties, 
                and better gang prevention efforts.

                But government alone cannot guarantee our children will 
                grow up free from violence and fear. Parents, teachers, 
                religious and community leaders, businesses, youth 
                organizations, and especially young people themselves 
                have a vital part to play. Parents and other adults 
                must set a good example for the children in their care 
                and teach them right from wrong. Adults who own a gun 
                have a responsibility to keep that weapon out of the 
                hands of our youth. Communities must unite to keep 
                schools safe and to provide young people with positive, 
                fulfilling activities after school and during summers 
                and holidays. Most important, young people themselves 
                have a duty to learn that violence solves nothing; to 
                act responsibly when confronted by peer pressure by 
                relying on their own good judgment, and to encourage 
                their friends and classmates to resolve conflicts 
                peacefully.

                I am heartened by the knowledge that hundreds of 
                thousands of young Americans across the country will 
                have an opportunity on this National Day of Concern to 
                sign the Student Pledge Against Gun Violence. By making 
                this earnest promise never to take a gun to school, 
                never to use a gun to settle a dispute, and to use 
                their influence to keep their friends from using guns, 
                these young people will take a giant step toward a 
                brighter, safer future.

[[Page 60638]]

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim November 6, 1997, as a 
                National Day of Concern About Young People and Gun 
                Violence. On this day, I call upon young Americans in 
                classrooms and communities across the country to make a 
                solemn decision about their future by signing the 
                Student Pledge Against Gun Violence. I further urge all 
                Americans to help our Nation's young people avoid 
                violence and grow up to be healthy, happy, productive 
                adults.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen 
                hundred and ninety-seven, and of the Independence of 
                the United States of America the two hundred and 
                twenty-second.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 97-29907
Filed 11-10-97; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P