THE WHITE HOUSE AT WORK
Friday, May 12, 2000
PRESIDENT CLINTON:
SUPPORTING MOMS AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE AND
WORKING TO ADVANCE SMART GUN TECHNOLOGY
"Every day, nearly a dozen of our children are killed by guns.
Twelve families suffer a wound that never heals. What is almost as senseless is
the fact that Congress refuses to act on legislation that would prevent many of
these shootings. But this Sunday, they will not be able to ignore the fact that
the voices of more than 1 million moms across America will be demanding
action."
President Bill Clinton
Friday, May 12, 2000
Today, in North Canton, Ohio, President Clinton met with state
organizers of the Million Mom March, scheduled for Mother's Day, May 14 in
Washington, D.C.and communities across the country to highlight the impact of
gun violence on American families. The President expressed his strong support
for these efforts and renewed his call to Congress to act on long-delayed gun
safety legislation. The President also announced that the Justice Department is
awarding a total of $600,000 in grants to two gun manufacturers for the
research and development of smart gun technologies. A smart gun can recognize
and limit its use to its proper adult owner, thereby helping to prevent
accidental shooting deaths and deter gun theft.
Mobilizing Mothers and Families Against Gun Violence. On May
14, mothers and families across the country will join in the Million Mom March,
a grassroots effort to focus the nation's attention on the terrible price of
gun violence and to demand action to reduce the violence. The March, which is
expected to draw over 150,000 mothers, fathers, children and other gun safety
supporters to the National Mall, will be the largest gun safety rally in
history. Emphasizing the fact that gunfire takes the lives of 12 children every
day, March participants are calling for common- sense measures designed to keep
guns out of the wrong hands and to prevent the accidental shootings that result
in the death and injury of thousands of Americans every year.
Urging Congress to Act Now to Protect America's Children. For
10 months – despite numerous gun tragedies at schools, workplaces, and
places of worship across America – Congress has refused to move forward on
common-sense gun measures. The President again urged Congress to send him
strong gun-safety legislation without delay that will:
- Close the gun-show loophole;
- Mandate child-safety locks with every handgun sold;
- Ban large-capacity ammunition clips;
- Bar the most violent juveniles from possessing firearms as
adults; and
- Hold adults accountable if they allow children easy access to
guns.
Leading an Effort to Develop Smart Gun Technology. The
President announced that the Department of Justice's National Institute of
Justice will award two grants of $300,000 each to Smith & Wesson and FN
Manufacturing, Inc. to fund additional smart gun research and development.
Smart gun technologies show tremendous promise in reducing gun violence that
results when firearms are taken intentionally or accidentally from their proper
owners. Smart guns have the ability to distinguish an authorized user from
someone who is not permitted to fire the weapon. The National Institute of
Justice has supported smart gun research in response to FBI data showing that
over the past decade, 113 weapons were stolen from police officers, and 57
officers were killed with their own guns. In this year's budget, the President
has proposed a $10 million initiative to expand the research, development and
replication of smart gun technologies, and has proposed a state-based licensing
plan that requires all new handgun purchasers to be trained in the proper
handling and storage of firearms. |
