[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 9 (Monday, March 6, 2000)]
[Pages 412-413]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Shooting Death at Theo J. Buell Elementary School in 
Michigan and an Exchange With Reporters in West Palm Beach

February 29, 2000

    The President. I would just like to say how very sorry I am about 
the shooting death of the first grade student at Buell Elementary School 
in the Mount Morris community near Flint, Michigan. I know the prayers 
of America are with the child's family and fellow classmates and all the 
people of that small community.
    I think it is important that today our thoughts be with them. And I 
don't know, obviously, all the facts; I may not even have as many as you 
do. But I think this is once again a call to us to do whatever we can to 
protect our children from this sort of violence and this tragedy. And 
I'm just very, very sorry, and I wanted to say that.

Gun Control Legislation

    Q. Mr. President, is there anything that can be done to stop 
tragedies like this?
    The President. Well, what I'd like to do, Mark [Mark Knoller, CBS 
Radio], is make sure I have all the facts before I say that--you know, 
if we had had one of the laws that we're proposing, it would make a 
difference. I don't want to--I think today is a day for grieving and 
regret, sympathy and support for the family and the community and the 
other kids and the people in that school. This must be an agony for all 
of them.
    But I think that--I do think just generally that we should be really 
pushing for the child safety locks and even more for the investment in 
safe gun technology so we can complete this research and see if we can't 
develop guns that can only be fired by their adult owners.
    I think that I'm very troubled. I don't want to comment too much on 
the facts of this case, but if you get away from this case, as I said 
when I was inside, just the accidental death rate of our young people 
from guns is so much higher than any other country that it's clear that 
we need to keep working on this, and I hope that we will.
    Q. You said inside it has been a year since Columbine. Is there 
anything you can do, a

[[Page 413]]

stick you can use to get Congress to move? Are you willing to say, for 
example, that you would veto Commerce-Justice if it doesn't have the 
protections you're looking for?

    The President. Well, I believe that we will get some action this 
year, and I wouldn't rule anything in or out. But I don't want to get 
into the tactics now, except to say that--keep in mind there is a 
budget--there is a bill in conference, and one of them is pretty good, 
and one of them is not. We've got to try to get the best bill we can out 
of conference. And I just hope that everyone will weigh in and try to 
get this done. It's very important to the future.

    Q. You did seem to indicate in your speech inside that this should 
be an election issue.

    The President. Oh, I do believe that. I think the issue of--not this 
terrible tragedy, but the issue of gun safety, I think, definitely 
should be. We ought to make a decision as a people. That's why we have 
these elections. And we can do that, you see, without any name-calling 
or anything. People can just state what their positions are and why, and 
the American people can make their judgments. But I do think, to me, it 
ought to be one of the big goals of our country to make America the 
safest big country in the world, and therefore, is a proper subject of 
debate in this election. It's nothing but an issue, so there's no need 
for name-calling or anger or anything else. People should just state 
what they feel should be done, and the American people can make up their 
mind who is right.

    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 2:48 p.m. at a private residence. In his 
remarks, he referred to 6-year-old Kayla Rolland, who was shot and 
mortally wounded by a 6-year-old classmate in Mount
Morris Township, MI. A tape was not available for verification of the 
content of these remarks.