[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
[March 17, 2000]
[Pages 483-484]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Teleconference Remarks With Mayors on the Gun Safety Agreement With
Smith & Wesson
March 17, 2000

    The President. Hello.
    Participant. Hello, Mr. President.
    Participant. Hello, Mr. President.
    The President. Thank you all for joining us. I'd like to start by 
asking everyone here on the phone to say their names and the city and 
the State they represent.

[[Page 484]]

    We have with us here, in the Oval Office, Attorney General 
Spitzer of New York, Attorney General 
Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mayor 
Penelas of Miami. And Mayor Bill 
Campbell of Atlanta was here; he just walked 
out. So we're all here. But why don't we--everybody else who is on the 
phone say something about it, who you are.

[At this point, the teleconference participants introduced themselves.]

    The President. We're delighted to have you on the phone call. And I 
want to say on behalf of not only the White House but Attorney General 
Reno and Deputy Attorney General Holder, Secretary Summers and Deputy Secretary Eizenstat, and Secretary Cuomo, we very 
much appreciate what you've done, and we congratulate you. I think that 
this agreement will fundamentally change the way the gun industry does 
business, and all of you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your 
leadership and involvement have helped to make all American communities 
safer. We couldn't be here without you, and I thank you.
    Now, we've got to build on what we've accomplished today and 
continue to reduce gun violence. The long roster of leaders with us here 
today is proof that the whole Nation supports what we're doing, and we 
just need you to go out there and keep working with responsible members 
of the gun industry to keep this momentum going. And I hope we can get 
some other manufacturers to join us.
    I wonder if anybody who is here wants to say anything and anybody on 
the phone would like to say anything now.

[The participants made brief remarks.]

    The President. Thank you very much. If I could just echo two of the 
points that were made. First of all, I agree with the last point Mayor 
Penelas made. This proves, this agreement, 
that nobody was in it for the money. Everybody said all along, the 
States, the municipalities, and the Federal Government, nobody wanted 
any money damages; we just wanted a change in the way America lives to 
make it a safer place.
    The second thing I'd like to say--to echo what Mayor Archer and 
Attorney General Spitzer said--is Smith & Wesson stuck their neck out 
here, and I think that all of us, including the Federal Government, in 
our procurement policies, if we really are serious about making America 
safer, ought to send a clear signal that we appreciate what they did. I 
think that that will accelerate the day in which the other manufacturers 
will follow suit.
    I thank you all very much. This is a happy day, and I'm glad to talk 
to you all. And thanks for joining the phone call, and thanks for 
agreeing with the settlement.
    Thank you all. Goodbye.

Note: The President spoke at 2:37 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Mayor Alexander Penelas of Metro-
Dade, FL; Mayor Dennis W. Archer of Detroit, MI; Eliot Spitzer, New York 
attorney general; and Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut attorney general. 
The transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also 
included the remarks of the participating city officials.