FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AG THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1994 (202) 616-0189 TDD (202) 514-1888 ATTORNEY GENERAL PREVIEWS YOUTH GUN INITIATIVE WITH NEW GRANTS TO FIGHT PROBLEMS OF KIDS AND GUNS WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In preparation for a Youth Handgun Violence Initiative to be announced later this fall, Attorney General Janet Reno today unveiled 19 new Department of Justice youth and firearm grants worth more than $5.3 million, including projects to disrupt illegal firearms markets, reduce young people's demand for guns, and make it safer for them to travel to school. "If we are to fight crime effectively in the 1990s, we must focus more on kids and guns," said Reno. "Unless we act now, a generation of young Americans will grow up in a world where gunfire is as normal as blue jeans and school books." The grants, to be distributed by the Department's Office of Justice Programs, also include funding for several task forces to prosecute firearms violations, a boot camp program to instill discipline and values in wayward youth, anti-gun violence curriculum training for teachers, improved background checks on applicants for federal firearms licenses, and a survey of gun violence among youth. "The crime bill's strength is its balanced approach to fighting crime," said Reno. "Today's announcements show us how tough enforcement and common-sense prevention strategies can work hand-in-hand to start turning youth gun crime around." Later this fall, the Attorney General will announce a Youth Handgun Violence Initiative, designed to coordinate federal, state, local and private resources in the fight against youth gun violence. The crime bill, signed by President Clinton in September, includes a new federal ban on youth handgun possession, new penalties for those who sell guns to kids, and new crime prevention programs to fight youth crime. Earlier this week, Reno met with Mark Rosenberg of the Centers for Disease Control and Dr. Alfred Blumstein of Carnegie-Mellon University to discuss emerging trends in youth gun violence. A list of the grants is attached. ### 94-636