[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

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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.