[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