FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Thank you Jim. It is my great pleasure to accept this "Lifetime Achievement Award" on behalf of President Clinton today, and to . It is also a privilege to join you today in honoring President Clinton for his leadership in reducing gun violence. Since the beginning of his Administration, President Clinton has put the fight against gun violence at the top of his agenda and has shown outstanding commitment and energy in pursuing this critical goal. Working closely with his Cabinet, President Clinton has not only ensured a series of successful legislative actions against gun violence for the first time in more than 30 years, but he has also raised the level of public understanding about the need to fight gun violence. It has been an honor to work under President Clinton.

Let me also take this opportunity and to thank Sarah and Jim Brady, Mike Barnes, Dennis Henigan, Handgun Control Inc., and the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence for the critical work you have done in moving the country forward on this issue.

In addition I would also like to extend my warm thanks to Senator Edward Kennedy, Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Jack Reed, Senator Dick Durbin, Representative Carolyn McCarthy, Representative Rush Holt, Representative Steny Hoyer, Representative Barbara Lee, Representative Bob Brady, Representative Julia Carson, Representative Joseph Crowley, and Representative Diana DeGette, former Senator Howard Metzenbaum and Governor Mel Carnahan. Quite simply, Yyour support has been - and will continue to be - vital to this effort.

As you know, Congress granted the Treasury Secretary authority under the Gun Control Act of 1968 to regulate the firearms industry, to enforce the firearms laws, and to oversee the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. These are responsibilities I take with the utmost seriousness. Reducing gun violence is one of the most urgent priorities in our country and sits at among the items that are at the top of my agenda as Secretary.

Working together we have achieved a great deal. But when it comes to gun violence, America is still far too unsafe. Almost 30,000 Americans die because of gun violence every year including almost 12 children every day. From Littleton to Fort Worth, Paducah to Pearl, gun violence has stolen the lives of young and old alike. It has desecrated churches, classrooms, day-care centers, and our National Zoo. It has kept parents up at night, and made schoolchildren afraid to get on the bus in the morning. We can and must do more to combat this blight on our nation's life.

Today I would like to talk about our accomplishments to date so farin working to combating gun violence, and what we must work to achieve in the future. Let me divide my remarks into three parts:

• First, some key accomplishments that reflect our common work and goals.
• Second, what the Federal law enforcement agencies have achieved in enforcing existing laws against gun violence.
• And third, why we need new legislation and resources to respond comprehensively to gun violence in the future.

Your organization has worked tirelessly to combat handgun violence and has changed the way this country thinks about firearms. Let me review just a few of the accomplishments of recent years - so many of which have been achieved by working together.

First, by passing the Brady Act. Against great odds and with extraordinary perseverance, Jim and Sarah Brady and many of you in this room, fought for seven years to get this law enacted. The Brady Act has changed the way firearms are sold in America and it has changed the way we think about preventing firearms violence. Since 1994, the Brady Act has prevented over half a million felons, domestic violence offenders and fugitives from buying guns. Americans are safer today because the Brady Act is in effect. I know that President Clinton was honored to sign this Bill into law. And let me also thank Senator Metzenbaum, an original sponsor of the Brady Bill.

Second, by our agreement with Smith & Wesson. Handgun Control has played a leading role in litigation brought by cities and counties across the country that aims to make the gun industry take responsibility for the way guns are designed and marketed. This litigation has focused the country's attention on the gun industry and the important steps the gun industry must take.

In partnership with the cities and states, and with the key participation of Mike Barnes and Dennis Henigan of Handgun Control, we achieved a historic agreement with Smith & Wesson. This agreement, in which Smith & Wesson agreed to take steps to reduce firearms accidents and keep firearms out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them, provides a model that all members of the industry should follow.

And third, raising public awareness. Handgun Control has contributed enormously to public education and had a tremendous impact on awareness about firearms violence that has helped focus both national and local attention on the issue. At the local and state level HCI has also had an enormous impact in passing legislative initiatives to tackle gun violence. And at the national level, the Million Mom March brought a clear message to Washington, D.C. and cities across the country that we need a strong legislative response to firearms violence.

At the same time, the Federal Government, led by the Treasury and Justice Departments , the Justice Department,in partnership with state and local law enforcement, has made dramatic progress in better enforcing our nation's laws. Yet, our opponents have suggested that we are not making the most of our existing capacity to clamp down on gun crime. They are wrong and I would like It is worthwhile to takinge a moment to refute this argument - because because all too often it has been used to it is used todeflect attention from the need for new legislation.

While Although the incidence of crime numbersremains far too high, America is now a much less dangerous place today than it was in 1992. less than a decade ago. The facts speak for themselves: Consider: ggun crime is down 35 percent since 1992; gun violence by juveniles is down 57 percent; and, overall, we have the lowest homicide rate in 31 years. These reductions dhave not occurred by accident. Crime has fallen, in no small part, partly because of our aggressive efforts we have aggressively to targeted violent gun criminals and traffickers across the country.

Since 1992, the Justice Department reports that the number of Federal firearms cases has increased 16 percent. As a result of this Administration's unprecedented partnership with states and localities, overall gun prosecutions are also up 22 percent. ConsiderLet me give you a few examples:

• Operation Ceasefire in Boston has reduced gun crime dramatically, by aggressively targeting repeat offenders and violent gangs with every enforcement tool available. This has Operation Ceasefirebrought resulted in a 67 percent drop in homicides in Boston-from 96 in 1995 to 31 in 1999. The operation is a testimony to what can be achieved when Federal agencies work closely with their state and local counterparts.
• In 1996, President Clinton launched the Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative in 17 cities. These cities commit to tracing all crime guns. Together, we have then used this trace information to develop strategic enforcement approaches and build cases against armed offenders and traffickers. Since 1996, we have more than doubled the initiative to include some 38 cities.
• We have developed powerful ballistics technology to strengthen our fight against gun violence. Ballistics imaging, which records the unique markings-like a fingerprint--that a firearm leaves on bullets and casings, can, by establishing a link to the criminal even when the gun is not recovered. Already, FBI and ATF ballistics testing programs have advanced over 16,000 criminal investigations of gun crimes in over 40 states.

In addition, Treasury, in partnership with law enforcement agencies across the country, has made the most of new technology to analyze and understand more about the firearms market. As someone whose background is in statistical analysis, I am particularly pleased with the research ATF has done in recent years, and I believe this research has been helpful to organizations such as yours like yours.as you work to address this major threat. For example, as a result

Because of this kindof that analysis, we now know that a very small number of dealers are responsible for a large number of crime guns. ATF is now targeting its inspection resources on these dealers, and it will impose sanctions where violations of law are found.

This morning, we released an important study on firearms trafficking. This report documents that ATF initiated over 1,500 firearms trafficking investigations between July 1996 and December 1998, involving over 84,000 firearms. The report also includes significant findings about the role of gun shows and corrupt dealers in trafficking. For example:

• Corrupt licensed dealers are responsible for trafficking large numbers of guns. The average corrupt dealer investigated by ATF sends hundreds of guns into the illegal market. So, while corrupt licensed dealers were involved in less than one tenth of investigations, they were associated with nearly half of all trafficked firearms.
• Gun shows. This report confirms that gun shows are a major trafficking channel. 14 percent of ATF's trafficking investigations involved gun shows, and gun shows were associated with the second highest number of trafficked firearms per investigation, over 130 guns.

TodayI have stressed our accomplishments here today because, of all the arguments I have heard in public policy in the years I have been in Washington, the most remarkable is the argument that we should not enact new laws because existing laws are not being sufficiently enforced. we are not enforcing existing laws enough.

There are two problems with this at argument.

• First, our record in combating crime is strong. We have seen a 35 percent reduction in gun violence and reductions in major cities by more than half. What we have done has been making an enormous difference.
• Second, this is not the There is a second reason why that argument does not add up. That is not the way the USnited States has solved any problem in its history. Did we decide we should not fight the European front in World War II until we had finished combat on the Pacific front? Did we say we should do nothing about employment discrimination until school segregation was resolved?

With additional resources, we can and should Surely, we can enforce existing laws more energetically. The President's budget rightly calls for more funding to fight gun violence, with 500 additional ATF agents and inspectors and new federal and state prosecutors to reduce gun violence. In addition, the budget provides resources for substantial improvements to firearms and ballistics tracing.

The House Commerce, Justice and State Appropriations Committee has failed to provide critically needed funding to hire over 1,000 Federal, state and local government prosecutors to take dangerous criminals off our streets. It is critical that this funding be provided if we are to meet our common enforcement goals.

But, as important as those additional funds will be at $280 million is closing the loopholes in existingthe current gun laws. Indeed, our enforcement work highlights the need to close this broad network of loopholes. For example, this morning's trafficking report shows that gun shows are a major trafficking channel, making it even clearer that we must close the gun show loophole. It also shows that corrupt dealers contribute large numbers of guns to trafficking, making it even clearer that we must impose stiffer penalties on corrupt dealers and that ATF needs authority to inspect dealers more than once a year.

For all of these reasons, the President is urging Congress to put the interests of American families above those of the gun lobby and pass legislation to:

• Require background checks at gun shows.
• Mandate child safety locks for handguns.
• Ban the importation of large-capacity ammunition clips.

• Bar violent juveniles from owning guns for life.

To conclude: enforcement and new legislation are complementary, not competing goals. It is not inadequate Is there anything inadequate about the enforcement of existing gun laws that permits explains why criminals criminals to should be able to buy firearms at gun shows without a Brady background check. It is not inadequate inadequate about theenforcement of existing law that exempts explains why large-capacity magazines and semi-automatic assault weapons manufactured before 1994 are exempt from the ban on f those types of weapons. And it not ? Is there anything inadequate about the enforcement of existing law that permits explains why a a juvenile who commits murder at age 15 to can obtain a firearm as soon as he turns 21.?

The answer to each question is plainly no. The point is a simple one: we should enforce the laws and close the loopholes at the same time. Measures to close these loopholes and others targeted by the Administration and Handgun Control are common sense steps that will make this country a safer place.

Thank you again for your important leadership in this area. And I would also like to once again salute President Clinton for his extraordinary leadership and dedication to this most important national priority. Let me thank you once again, on the President's behalf, for the honor that you have bestowed upon him today.