    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
    [February 6, 1999]
    [Pages 177-178]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 177]]

    The President's Radio Address
    February 6, 1999

        Good morning. Six years ago I determined Washington had to get off
    the sidelines and join the frontlines in the fight against crime. I
    committed my administration to recovering our streets from violence, to
    reclaiming our neighborhoods as safe havens for families. Since then
    we've pursued a new strategy of law enforcement based not on tough talk
    but on tougher penalties, better prevention, and the substantial,
    visible presence of community police.
        This strategy is showing remarkable results. Since 1993, crime rates
    in America have fallen to the lowest point in a quarter century.
    Property crime is down. Violent crime has dropped 20 percent in the last
    6 years. The murder rate is the lowest in 30 years. Americans can take
    pride in streets that are safer, but mostly they can take comfort in
    lives that are more secure.
        There are many reasons that crime is in a sharp decline. Chief among
    them is our growing ability to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
    Gun-related crime is on the wane, and it's no wonder. According to a
    recent report by the Justice Department, the background checks we
    required in the Brady law have put a stop to nearly a quarter-million
    handgun purchases. Thanks to Brady, we turn away more than 200 felons a
    day, sending them home empty handed instead of well-armed. And now that
    the insta-check system is in effect, we can conduct these checks in even
    less time. Retail gun stores, sporting goods stores, licensed gun
    dealers: They're all working to keep guns out of the hands of felons and
    fugitives.
        But there's a loophole in the law, and criminals know how to exploit
    it. They go to gun shows. Last year there were more than 4,400 gun shows
    all across America. I come from a State where these shows are very
    popular. I have visited and enjoyed them over the years. I know they're
    the first place where many parents teach their children how to handle
    firearms safely.
        But at the same time, at too many gun shows, criminals are buying
    guns with no questions asked. That's because the law permits some
    sellers, one-quarter to one-half of the vendors at a typical gun show,
    to skip the background checks required by Brady. That is a significant
    loophole. It's wide enough that criminals reach right through it,
    grabbing, collectively, thousands of firearms that disappear without a
    trace.
        Last fall I asked the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General to report
    on the problem and to come up with solutions. I now have their report.
    It is sensible and sobering. It shows conclusively that gun shows are a
    forum for gun traffickers, a cash-and-carry convenience store for
    weapons used to maim and kill.
        We must close this loophole. America cannot allow its gun shows to
    become illegal arms bazaars, where lawbreakers shop side-by-side with
    the law-abiding. That's why I strongly support the recommendations of
    Secretary Rubin and Attorney General
    Reno. We should extend Brady checks and gun-
    tracing records to any and all open markets where large numbers of
    firearms are sold. And we should vigorously and fairly enforce the
    rules. The gun lobby may not want to hear this, but clearly it's the
    right thing to do: No background check, no gun. No exceptions.
        To toughen enforcement of the existing law, my balanced budget
    includes new funds to hire more than 100 agents of the Bureau of
    Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. These agents will help arrest violent
    criminals and gun traffickers and will shut down illegal purchases of
    firearms. My budget also increases funding for firearms prosecutions and
    expands our successful efforts to keep guns out of the hands of violent
    youth.
        In these efforts, I am thankful for the leadership of Senator
    Lautenberg and Congressman
    Blagojevich, who will introduce
    legislation to make this gun show policy the law of the land. I'm joined
    today by Senator Lautenberg, along with Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois and Congresswomen Julia
    Carson from Indiana, as well as Deputy Attorney
    General Eric Holder. I thank them all
    for their support.
        I'm looking forward to working with members of both parties in the
    coming months, so that together we can strengthen the laws that serve us
    so well and, in doing so, build a stronger America for the 21st century.
        Thanks for listening.

    [[Page 178]]

    Note: The address was recorded at 5:05 p.m. on February 5 in the Oval
    Office at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on February 6. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    February 5 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast.