    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book I)]
    [April 13, 1996]
    [Pages 579-581]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    April 13, 1996

        Good morning. This week, on April the 19th, we mark one of America's
    saddest anniversaries, the first anniversary of the bombing of the
    Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. It is when

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    the American spirit is at its best that we find renewal in even the most
    desolate of our tragedies. And that is what the people of Oklahoma City
    have managed somehow to do.
        They have shown us that while we cannot guarantee our children a
    world free of madmen, we can promise them that we will always build and
    rebuild safe places to sustain and nurture their new lives. They have
    reminded us that while we can never call back the souls that were torn
    from us, we can prove that the forces of hatred and division are no
    match for the goodness in the human spirit.
        Oklahoma City reminds us of something else, that we must give
    nothing less than everything we have in the fight against terrorism in
    our country and around the world, for the forces that are sparking so
    much of the progress we see today--lightning-fast technology, easier
    travel, open borders--these forces also make it easier for people with a
    grudge or a cause to launch a terrorist attack against innocent people.
        In this new era, fighting terrorism must be a top law enforcement
    and national security priority for the United States. On our own and
    with our allies, we have put in place strong sanctions against states
    that sponsor terrorism. We have improved our cooperation with other
    nations to deter terrorists before they act, to capture them when they
    do, and to see to it that they are brought to justice. We've increased
    funding, personnel, and training for our own law enforcement agencies to
    deal with terrorists.
        But we must do even more. That is why, more than a year ago, I sent
    to Congress legislation that would strengthen our ability to
    investigate, prosecute, and punish terrorist activity. After Oklahoma
    City, I made it even stronger. My efforts were guided by three firm
    goals: first, to protect American lives without infringing on American
    rights; second, to give the FBI and other law enforcement officials the
    tools they have asked for to do the job; and third, to make sure
    terrorists are barred from this country.
        In the wake of Oklahoma City, Congress promised to send me the bill
    6 weeks after the tragic bombing. And yet, unbelievably, almost an
    entire year has passed, and Congress still has not managed to send me
    strong antiterrorism legislation. There is simply no excuse for this
    foot-dragging. This bill should have been law a long time ago.
        So I urge Congress: Make it happen. Pass antiterrorism legislation
    now. In the name of the children and all the people of Oklahoma City, I
    say to Congress, do not let another day go by in which America does not
    have the tools it needs to fight terrorism. It's essential that Congress
    send me the right antiterrorism legislation, legislation that finally
    will give law enforcement the upper hand.
        When I met with leaders of the congressional majority shortly after
    the bombing, they assured me that Congress would give the American
    people strong antiterrorism legislation. They haven't. While the Senate
    passed a solid bill, the House absolutely gutted it. Under pressure from
    the Washington gun lobby, House Republicans took that bill apart piece
    by piece. Well, now it's time they put it back together. America cannot
    afford to settle for a fake antiterrorism bill. We need the real thing.
    And on my watch, I'm determined to get it.
        This is what real antiterrorism should have: First, we need explicit
    authority to prevent terrorist groups like Hamas from raising money in
    the United States for their dirty deeds. Second, we need authority to
    deport quickly foreigners who abuse our hospitality by supporting
    terrorist activities away from or within our shores. Second, we need to
    give law enforcement officials the ability to use high-tech surveillance
    and other investigative tools to keep up with stealthy, fast-moving
    terrorists.
        And we need a provision to mark chemically the explosive materials
    terrorists use to build their deadly bombs. If we know where the
    explosives come from, we have an edge in tracking down the criminals who
    use them. These taggants work. In fact, when they were being tested just
    a few years ago, they helped us to catch a man who had killed someone
    with a car bomb. Law enforcement officials believe that of the more than
    13,000 bombing crimes in the last 5 years, as many as 30 percent could
    have been solved faster with taggants.
        Yet the Republicans in Congress continue to oppose this commonsense
    initiative. Why? Because the Washington gun lobby told them to. One
    Republican Congressman had another reason, an unbelievable one. He
    actually told his own committee chairman, ``I trust Hamas more than my
    own Government.'' Well, I don't. And I don't think most Americans or
    most Members of Congress in either party do.

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        I urge Congress to change course. Put the national interest before
    the special interests. Give law enforcement the ability to trace these
    explosives-using bombs that kill Americans.
        We know acts of terror are no match for the human spirit. In the
    last year, the people of Oklahoma City have proved this. We know we can
    heal from terrorism. But now we must do even more to stop it before it
    happens. A strong antiterrorism bill will help us to do just that. And
    that's why it must be the law of the land.
        Thanks for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 6:05 p.m. on April 12 in the Roosevelt
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on April 13.