    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [March 16, 1996]
    [Pages 463-464]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 463]]

    The President's Radio Address
    March 16, 1996

        Good morning. I have recently returned from an historic meeting in
    the Middle East. Twenty-nine leaders from the region and around the
    world came together in support of peace and against terrorism. Our
    summit was called to confront an urgent threat. Recent terrorist
    atrocities in Israel have taken scores of innocent lives, including
    those of two young Americans. They have jeopardized the hopes of
    Israelis and Palestinians who long for peace, and they menace the dreams
    of all the mothers and fathers there who seek a better life for their
    children.
        But the merchants of terror will not succeed. By their acts of
    violence they have only reinforced the determination of the peacemakers.
    Whatever the effort, whatever the time it takes, we will prevail because
    we must.
        The violence in Israel is a terrible reminder of the challenges we
    all face to protect the security of our Nation and our people. For while
    we live in an age of great possibility, we face new perils as well. Open
    societies and open markets are on the march. And the dawn of the
    information age is creating exciting new opportunities to build a
    brighter future. But as barriers fall, the freedom and openness that
    make our Nation strong can also make us vulnerable. The freedom and
    openness that will bring Americans almost 3 million new jobs in the next
    few years in telecommunications alone, spurred on by the
    telecommunications bill I signed just a few weeks ago, also mean that
    our democratic societies, which have to be open to new people and
    products and information, are also more vulnerable because they're open
    to threats that all too easily can cross national borders.
        Terrorism is a part of the growing web of threats that include the
    spread of weapons of mass destruction, drug trafficking, and organized
    crime. I have made our fight against terrorism a national security
    priority. And in order to defeat these forces of destruction, we need
    every tool at our disposal. The United States maintains strong sanctions
    on states that sponsor terrorism. We have stepped up cooperation with
    other nations to root out terrorists before they act and to capture them
    when they do. We have increased funding, manpower, and training for our
    law enforcement agencies to combat terrorism. And our efforts are
    yielding results. We made swift arrests after the attacks on the World
    Trade Center and Oklahoma City. Today those responsible for the World
    Trade Center bombing are behind bars. In the last 3 years the United
    States has arrested more terrorists than at any time in our history,
    plucking them from hiding all around the world and bringing them to
    justice for their crimes. This progress is dramatic, but we must do
    more.
        Yet on the same day I was in the Middle East rallying the world
    community to fight terrorism, some in Congress, led by Republicans, were
    taking apart piece by piece the tough legislation designed to beat back
    that very threat. More than a year ago I sent a bill to Congress that
    would strengthen our ability to investigate, prosecute, and punish
    terrorist activity. After the Oklahoma City bombing I made that
    legislation even stronger. My efforts were guided by three firm goals:
    first, to protect American lives without infringing on American rights;
    second, to give law enforcement officials the tools they need to do the
    job; and third, to make sure that terrorists are barred from our
    country.
        The congressional leaders promised to send me that bill by last
    Memorial Day, 6 weeks after the Oklahoma City tragedy. The Senate passed
    counterterrorism legislation last June. But now, less than 6 weeks
    before the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, the House has
    finally acted to gut the bill. The House took the teeth out of our
    efforts to fight terrorism. Unbelievably, the House voted to give law
    enforcement officials fewer tools to fight terrorism than they have to
    fight far less horrible crimes here at home.
        First, the bill had a provision to chemically mark the explosive
    materials terrorists use to build their deadly bombs. If we know where
    explosives come from, we have a better chance of figuring out who used
    them. The House voted to strip this law enforcement tool because for
    some reason the Washington gun lobby opposed it. The House and the
    Washington gun lobby are against giving law enforcement the ability to
    trace explosives. I know we should

    [[Page 464]]

    be able to keep up with materials terrorists use to build bombs.
        The House also voted to let terrorists like Hamas continue to raise
    money in America by stripping the Justice Department's authority to
    designate organizations as terrorists and thereby stop them from raising
    funds in the United States. The House voted against allowing us to
    deport foreigners who support terrorist activities more quickly, and it
    voted to cripple our ability to use high-tech surveillance to keep up
    with stealthy and fast-moving terrorists.
        At the same time the bill went easy on terrorists, it got tough on
    law enforcement officials. The House stripped a provision that would
    have helped protect police officers from cop-killer bullets. And it
    ordered a commission to study not the terrorists but the Federal law
    enforcement officials who put their lives on the line to fight
    terrorism. Even the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee,
    Henry Hyde, couldn't believe what his colleagues did, saying the House
    eviscerated the terrorism bill. I urge the Senate to stand firm and turn
    this bill back into the strong antiterrorism legislation I want to sign
    and America needs.
        Our Nation has felt the lash of terrorism. We know its terrible
    costs, and we know that only America can lead the world's fight against
    it. We can't let the gun lobby turn America into a safehouse for
    terrorists. Congress should get back on track and send me tough
    legislation that cracks down on terrorism. It should listen to the cries
    of the victims and the hopes of our children, not the back-alley
    whispers of the gun lobby.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 5:08 p.m. on March 15 in the Roosevelt
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on March 16.