    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 25 (Monday, June 26, 2000)]
    [Pages 1446-1447]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Statement on Proposed Legislation To Bolster Enforcement of Gun Laws

    June 22, 2000

        Today the House has an opportunity to bolster our efforts to fight
    gun crime in America as it considers the Commerce, Justice, State
    appropriations bill. In its current form, the bill severely underfunds
    my $280 million national gun enforcement initiative--including funding
    for 1,000 new State and local gun prosecutors, anti-gun violence media
    campaigns, and smart gun technology. I urge the House to pass
    Representative Lowey's amendment to provide $150 million to hire State
    and local gun prosecutors to put more gun criminals behind bars.
        Yesterday the Treasury Department released its first-ever gun ATF
    gun trafficking report demonstrating my administration's commitment to
    tough gun enforcement and the need to close deadly loopholes in our laws
    that make gun shows and corrupt dealers favorite supply channels for
    illegal traffickers. Congress can take immediate action to address these
    issues and make progress in the fight to reduce gun violence. Instead,
    the

    [[Page 1447]]

    House attempted to undermine the administration's historic gun safety
    agreement with Smith & Wesson last night. Despite the failure of this
    attempt, the Republican leadership continues its assault on this
    agreement at a time when our Nation loses nearly 12 children per day in
    gunfire.
        We should be doing all we can to move forward in the fight to reduce
    gun violence, not backward. I urge Congress to focus on measures that
    will improve public safety by fully funding my national gun enforcement
    initiative to give law enforcement even more tools to crack down on gun
    criminals. And Congress should finally pass the stalled commonsense gun
    safety legislation to close the gun show loophole and take other steps
    to keep guns out of the wrong hands.