[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 19 (Monday, May 12, 1997)]
[Page 686]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Juvenile Crime Legislation

May 8, 1997

    Today, the House of Representatives missed an important opportunity 
to fight and prevent the scourge of juvenile crime. I oppose passage of 
H.R. 3, the Juvenile Crime Control Act, because it fails to provide a 
comprehensive plan to crack down on youth and gang violence.
    As I began my second term as President, I made juvenile crime and 
gangs my top law enforcement priority over the next 4 years. I called on 
every police officer, prosecutor, and parent in America to work together 
to keep our young people safe and to keep young criminals off our 
streets.
    America's Anti-Gang and Youth Violence strategy must declare war on 
gangs; target funding for additional local prosecutors to pursue, 
prosecute, and punish gang members; extend the Brady law so violent teen 
criminals will never have the right to purchase a gun; require Federal 
dealers to sell a child safety lock with every gun, to protect our kids 
from using guns to hurt each other or themselves; and target resources 
to keep schools open late, on weekends, and in the summer, to keep young 
people off the street and out of trouble.
    The legislation passed in the House today fails to provide any of 
these necessary measures to give law enforcement, prosecutors, and 
parents the tools they need to combat gangs and youth violence in their 
communities.
    Four years ago, we made a commitment to take our streets back from 
crime and violence. We had a comprehensive plan of 100,000 new community 
police officers on the street, tough new penalties on the books, and 
steps to keep guns out of the hands of criminals with the assault 
weapons ban and the Brady bill.
    Our plan is working. Last year, violent crime came down for the 5th 
year in a row. And for the first time in 7 years, the rate of young 
people arrested for violent crime and murder has gone down. But we 
cannot waste this opportunity to bring down violent juvenile crime even 
further. I will continue to work with Congress to ensure passage of 
legislation that will give our children the safest and most secure 
future possible.