Highlighting the Need to Strengthen Our Gun Laws - 6/21/2000

THE WHITE HOUSE AT WORK



Wednesday, June 21, 2000

PRESIDENT CLINTON:
HIGHLIGHTING THE NEED TO STRENGTHEN OUR GUN LAWS
June 21, 2000

"Today's report demonstrates that our Administration is tough on gun traffickers who peddle guns to criminals and young people. But Congress must also close the deadly loopholes in our laws that make guns accessible to criminals and children in the first place."

President Bill Clinton
Wednesday, June 21, 2000

Today, President Clinton highlighted the release of the nation's first-ever comprehensive gun trafficking report. The report shows that of 1,500 ATF trafficking investigations, more than 84,000 guns were diverted to the illegal market and were often later used by criminals to commit violent crimes. In addition, the report shows that gun shows and corrupt gun dealers were major sources of trafficked guns - providing further evidence of the need to strengthen our gun laws. In response to these findings, the President renewed his call on Congress to pass stalled common-sense gun safety legislation and to provide law enforcement with more tools to crack down on gun trafficking, corrupt gun dealers, and other armed criminals by funding his National Gun Enforcement Initiative.

RELEASING THE FIRST-EVER GUN TRAFFICKING REPORT. Today's report by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, entitled Following the Gun: Enforcing Federal Laws Against Firearms Traffickers, documents 1,530 ATF firearms trafficking investigations conducted from July 1996 to December 1998. While the report shows a strong record of enforcement against traffickers, it also shows the need to strengthen our gun laws to reduce access to illegal guns in the first place. Key findings include:

WORKING TO CLOSE DEADLY LOOPHOLES WITH STRONGER GUN LAWS. In response to the findings of the report, the President renewed his call on Congress to enact the gun safety legislation passed by the Senate last year, which would curtail access to illegal guns and help prevent gun violence by:

PUSHING TO ENACT THE LARGEST NATIONAL GUN ENFORCEMENT INITIATIVE IN HISTORY. In order to help law enforcement build on their successful efforts to crack down on gun traffickers and other gun criminals, the President urged Congress to fully fund his unprecedented $280 million Gun Enforcement Initiative to:

Unfortunately, the House Appropriations Committee last week approved a spending bill that guts key components of the President's initiative by failing to include $150 million for state and local gun prosecutors, and funding for local anti-gun violence media campaigns and smart gun research.



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