[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 23 (Monday, June 14, 1999)]
[Pages 1062-1064]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Meeting With Representatives of the National 
Association of Theatre Owners and an Exchange With Reporters

June 8, 1999

    The President. Good afternoon. Please be seated.
    Ladies and gentlemen, I hope you won't be confused when I tell you 
that I have just met with the representatives of NATO, and we talked 
about the movies. [Laughter] I am, of course, referring to a somewhat 
different NATO than we usually discuss around here--the National 
Association of Theatre Owners.
    We had a very good discussion, and I want to thank NATO President 
Bill Kartozian and his colleagues who are here with him for the efforts 
they are making to make sure that we work together to prevent youth 
violence, and the ways the theater industry, in particular, can help in 
that cause.
    It has been less than 2 months since the tragedy at Columbine High 
School seared itself into our national consciousness. Ever since that 
day, our country has been moving steadily away from a culture of youth 
violence toward creating the kind of future we want for our children. 
People from all walks of life are coming together in a national 
grassroots campaign to prevent youth violence, to give our children the 
childhoods they deserve.
    We all know that parents are the first and most important influences 
on their children, but we know, too, that the demands on them are 
increasing, and as more and more parents work outside the home, they 
have less and less time with their children. On average, families now 
have a life in which parents spend about 22 hours a week less at home 
than parents did a generation ago. Over the 18 years of a child's 
childhood, that amounts to more than 2 years' time.

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    Since my first days as President, we have worked hard to help 
parents better balance the demands of home and work. One of the ways 
we've tried to do that is to give parents better tools to make immediate 
but informed judgments about the shows their children watch, the music 
they hear, the video games they play. We've worked hard to give parents 
new tools like the V-chip, which by the end of next month will be in 
half the new television sets sold in America and will help parents to 
block violent programming from their living rooms. We've also made 
progress on parental screening for the Internet and ratings for Internet 
game sites.
    But we must do more. We must ensure that children are not the 
targets of violence in marketing. That's why last week I asked the 
Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to study the 
extent to which the video game, movie, and music industries market 
violence to children and whether those industries are abiding by their 
own voluntary systems of regulation.
    For rating systems to work, they must also be enforced, not simply 
by watchful parents but by retailers at the point of sales and theater 
owners at the multiplex. The great thing about the multiplex is that 
there's a movie for every member of the family, but not every movie is 
for every member of the family. When you drop them off, you shouldn't 
have to worry about your G-rated kids getting into violent or suggestive 
R-rated movies. Too often children do get past the ticket counter, 
unescorted and underage.
    I'm pleased to announce today the theater owners are clearly drawing 
the line. The Nation's largest group of theater owners has asked--has 
agreed to ask young people for ID's at R-rated movies. From now on, 
parents will know that the R-rating means what it is supposed to mean--
restricted, no one under 17 without a parent or guardian, and no 
exceptions.
    Last month, when I challenged the theater owners to step up to this 
responsibility, I could only have hoped that they would respond so 
quickly. So again, let me applaud Bill Kartozian, his organization, and 
all their members for doing their part. I know we have parents here 
representing the PTA, and I want to thank them for coming, and I know 
they join me in applauding this action.
    Let me also say that I hope that, as the recess ends, the Congress 
will do its part. Next week the House will take up important legislation 
already passed by the Senate to help prevent youth violence by 
commonsense measures to keep guns out of the hands of children. They 
closed the deadly gun show loophole, required that safety locks be sold 
with every handgun, banned the importation of large-capacity ammunition 
clips, and banned violent juveniles from owning guns as adults. I 
strongly urge the House not to riddle this legislation with loopholes, 
or to delay, but to pass the law, and pass it quickly.
    Let me also say I hope others will follow the lead of the theater 
owners. In our growing national campaign to prevent youth violence, none 
can stand aside; none should stand in the way. In the weeks and months 
ahead, we will continue to move forward as one nation, striving to build 
that better future we all want for our children.
    Now, I'd like to ask Bill Kartozian to tell us more about the steps 
the theater owners have agreed to take. Let's give him a big hand.
    Mr. Kartozian.

[At this point, William F. Kartozian, president, National Association of 
Theatre Owners, made brief remarks.]

Situation in the Balkans

    Q. Mr. President, are you optimistic on Kosovo?
    The President. Well, I'm hopeful. You know, we're going to have--
we've got to have the military meeting and work out the details. But the 
G-8 statement is good.
    Q. And how quickly could the peacekeepers go in, do you think?
    The President. Well, they're working out the details--I hope 
shortly, we will know.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 1:55 p.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House.

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