It is completely constitutional and appropriate that the President propose the
following- none of which we are doing today:
- To require people to wait a few days before they get a gun they have
purchased; "cooling period"
- To close the loophole which allows felons, fugitives, people with mental
problems and wife beaters to buy guns at gunshows without a background
check;
- To prohibit the possession of a firearm by an adult who committed a
serious violent offense when he was a juvenile;
- To require folks who own guns to keep them safely locked up.
- To prohibit juveniles -- already prohibited by law from possessing
handguns -- from possessing assault weapons;
- To limit adults to one handgun purchase a month;
- And, to hold parents liable when they recklessly leave firearms lying
around and their children use those guns to commit acts of violence.
Our Constitution is a balanced document and guarantees us the right to travel freely,
yet we can, and should, be made to go through a security checkpoint every time we fly.The balance is one of reason. President Clinton certainly understands this. He grew
up in Arkansas and hunted all his life. He knows that hunting can be a passion for
many. But, he also knows that hunters and other sportsmen can get the firearms they
need to hunt, without giving killers the firearms they need to kill.
Critics of the President's proposals attempt to frighten people about the effect
they will have. Well, the Brady Law, which was also bitterly opposed, has been in
effect for about five years now. About 250,000 people who should not have had access
to guns have been turned away by federally licensed firearms dealers when they tried
to make a purchase. And yet the universe has not really changed for those Americans
who want to obtain a firearm and who do not come within the tightly constructed
prohibitions of the law. In the same way, these new proposals are reasonable and
narrowly drawn.
We know that gun violence is particularly hard on our children- every day 13 die
of gun injuries and 33 more are seriously injured. Though we have made great
progress in recent years, the firearms homicide rate for children under 15 in America is
12 times higher than that in the 25 other industrialized countries combined. Given
these statistics it is imperative that we do all we can to protect our children- this nation's
future- from gun violence. Again, the President's new proposals are designed to do
exactly that.
But, it is not enough that we bring about rational firearms practices. Our children
are our responsibility. We all need to be on the lookout for the early warning signs of
violence. It is very obvious that it was not only access to guns that led to the Littleton
tragedy. The hate that filled the hearts of the killers was almost as lethal as the guns
that filled their hands. We must develop and support strong prevention activities in our
schools. Conflict resolution programs are examples of the kind of efforts that can
defuse situations before they become violent.
In this regard, an ability to recognize the early warning signs for violence by
young people is one that must be present in teachers, parents, administrators and other
students. Every one of you has, or should have, a copy of our "Guide to Safe Schools."
If you need more copies, you can write to me or find it on the Justice Department's
homepage. It can be reached by clicking on the flashing banner at the center of the
page. I encourage you to make certain that every community leader back home has a
copy and that they give out copies in turn.
If you read this Guide, you will see that this is not about stigmatizing young
people, it is about knowing the difference between a young person who may be having
a difficult day and a young person who is crying out for help. If a student breaks his leg
on the soccer field, who would not get that athlete to the hospital for treatment? We
must do the same for the young person who develops a problem which impacts his
mental well being.
At the same time, I urge restraint. Let us be certain that we do not label every
young person who is dealing, with varying degrees of success with the problems of
adolescence, as a potential murderer. Let us be certain that we do not look for signs of
danger in every piece of clothing. But, let us also not ignore the silent cry for help of
those who are asking.
Let me end by repeating the pledge made by President Clinton, Vice President
Gore, Attorney General Janet Reno and I: we will assist Columbine, Littleton, Jefferson
County and Colorado in every way that we can. In just about three weeks, Columbine
High School will hold its graduation ceremony. Sadly, there will be too few students
graduating. There will be a void which will be impossible to fill. But, I want every young
person who graduates on that day and every other student who returns to Columbine in
the fall to know that America supports them that the silver and blue pin many of us
have worn symbolizes that we are with them in spirit, that we are ever mindful of the
tragedy which they have endured, and that we wish them the gifts of hope and healing
in the days, weeks, and years to come.
At the same time we must recognize that only through the use of comprehensive
effort will we ever be able to minimize the chance that other schools will face what
Columbine has endured. No one law, no one program can guarantee violence free
schools. And yet, taken together, well designed and adequately funded prevention,
intervention and enforcement programs can keep to a minimum the chances that we
will experience more of these tragic school based incidents. We want to work with you
to develop all these programs in an attempt to insure that all of this nation's students
are free from violence in their schools.
Thank you.
