[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 16 (Monday, April 24, 2000)]
[Pages 886-887]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Letter to the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee on Proposed Gun 
Safety Legislation

April 21, 2000

Dear Chairman Hyde:

    As you know, yesterday marked the anniversary of the tragic 
shootings at Columbine High School--and the date by which I had called 
on Congress to enact commonsense gun safety legislation. The passing of 
this deadline is a deep disappointment. When nearly 12 of our nation's 
children are killed by gunfire every day, we have an urgent 
responsibility to do all we can to reduce gun violence. That is why I am 
grateful for your good-faith efforts to seek agreement, despite 
tremendous pressure on Congress from the gun lobby. I was also glad to 
see that you joined Representative Conyers last week in urging Chairman 
Hatch to promptly convene the juvenile justice conference and to move 
forward at last on this legislation. And I appreciated receiving your 
most recent proposal to reach a compromise.
    I still have serious concerns about aspects of your latest proposal 
that I fear would create new loopholes for criminals to buy guns. But I 
am confident that if we can keep working together in good faith, we can 
reach agreement on a strong, commonsense bill that I can sign into law.
    I was especially encouraged by your recent commitment on ``Meet the 
Press'' and in your letter to Mr. Conyers to ensure that persons under 
felony indictments remain subject to full, three-day background checks. 
It is critical that we make the same effort to stop criminals from 
buying guns at gun shows that we already make at gun stores.
    In order to prevent fraud, protect privacy, and fully enforce the 
nation's gun laws--goals we both share--I believe we must make National 
Instant Criminal Background Check System records available for a 
sufficient period of time rather than immediately destroying them. 
However, as a gesture of good faith, I am willing to meet you halfway on 
this important issue, by requiring records to be destroyed within 90 
days, instead of 180 days as provided under current law. With this 
compromise, we can address your concerns while preserving this 
significant law enforcement tool. I hope this step will help break the 
current logjam, and bring your colleagues back to the conference table.
    We still have other important issues to resolve. I remain concerned 
about aspects of your proposal that would: leave open the gun show 
loophole by letting criminals buy guns at flea markets and by cutting 
short existing background checks on persons with certain mental health 
histories and domestic violence restraining orders; undermine the ban on 
importation of high-capacity ammunition clips; weaken long-standing 
controls on interstate firearms sales; and fail to require vital record-
keeping provisions needed by law enforcement to trace guns sold at gun 
shows that later turn up in crimes.
    Despite these significant outstanding issues, I believe we can reach 
an agreement.

[[Page 887]]

It is my sincere hope that in the coming weeks, we can work together to 
address our common goal of closing the gun show loophole and ensuring 
that our nation's gun laws are fully enforced without weakening current 
gun laws in the process. Neither of us is interested in a compromise 
that would serve only to jeopardize public safety and the effectiveness 
of law enforcement. I look forward to working with you to pass this 
commonsense legislation, and I encourage you to continue urging Chairman 
Hatch to allow the conferees to meet and consider this legislation. As 
you have stated, our efforts will come to nothing until that happens. 
Only by allowing an open and honest debate in conference and by working 
out our differences can we do right by the American people on this vital 
issue. We owe it to the families of Littleton, and the thousands more 
who lose their lives in gunfire each year in America, to get this done 
now.
    Sincerely,
                                                  Bill Clinton