[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 23 (Monday, June 14, 1999)]
[Pages 1080-1081]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Excerpt of Videotape Remarks to the to the United States Conference of 
Mayors Annual Meeting

June 11, 1999

    The Senate majority even wants to kill our successful COPS program, 
the very community police who help cut crime in neighborhoods all across 
America. My balanced budget, on the other hand, extends our commitment 
to community police into the 21st century, to put even more officers on 
our streets, especially in the toughest neighborhoods, and give them the 
tools they need to make those streets safe.
    Now is the time to build on our success, not to undermine it. And 
it's also time--high time--to do more to keep guns out of the wrong 
hands. But the House leadership seems intent on ignoring the lessons of 
Littleton, the lessons of all of our recent past. They want to water 
down the commonsense, modest gun bill passed by the Senate. According to 
news reports, the NRA is crowing that the House leadership gave them 90 
percent of the new loopholes they wanted in the gun show law.
    Now, clearly, there's a difference of approach here. We have a 
simple strategy that is already reducing crime all across America. We 
want more police on the street and fewer guns in the hands of criminals 
and children. They want more guns on the street and fewer cops. I think 
that's the wrong approach for America. The House leadership should heed 
the clear voice of the American people and stop listening to the deadly 
backstage whispers of the gun lobby.

Note: The President's remarks were videotaped at approximately 4:25 p.m. 
in the Roosevelt Room for later transmission to the U.S. Conference of 
Mayors meeting in New Orleans, LA. The release made available by the 
Office of the Press Secretary was a partial transcript of the 
President's remarks. A tape was not available for verification of the 
content of these remarks.

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