From almanac@WhiteHouse.Gov Tue May 10 09:59:23 1994 Received: from nova.unix.portal.com (nova.unix.portal.com [156.151.1.101]) by jobe.shell.portal.com (8.6.4/8.6.5) with ESMTP id JAA27755 for ; Tue, 10 May 1994 09:59:21 -0700 Received: from WhiteHouse.Gov (WhiteHouse.Gov [198.137.240.100]) by nova.unix.portal.com (8.6.7/8.6.5) with SMTP id JAA27386 for ; Tue, 10 May 1994 09:59:02 -0700 Received: by WhiteHouse.Gov (5.65/fma/mjr-120691); id AA18572; Tue, 10 May 94 12:57:39 -0400 Date: Tue, 10 May 94 12:57:39 -0400 Message-Id: <9405101657.AA18572@WhiteHouse.Gov> To: Jeff Chan From: publications@WhiteHouse.Gov (WhiteHouse.Gov publications server) Subject: RE: RE: your request Reply-To: publications@WhiteHouse.Gov Errors-To: almanac-bugs@WhiteHouse.Gov Status: RO -------- ## Regarding your request: sendfile 30735 THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary _____________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release May 2, 1994 REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT ASSAULT WEAPONS EVENT Old Executive Office Building 12:37 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much, Chief. He's come a long way from Wisconsin to bring a little Middle Western common sense to the nation's capital. When the House of Representatives votes this week on Thursday, they shouldn't forget the tragedy that the Chief just talked about. Think about it -- a 30-year veteran of the police department killed by an M1-A1 assault rifle after a bank robbery; two other police officers and a hostage also wounded. These things can be prevented. I also want to thank John Magaw for what he's said. He's done a fine job as Director of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms division. And before that he was Director of the Secret Service. I think you could tell his heartfelt concern there. He has two sons and a son-in-law all in law enforcement. They deserve a chance to do their job with less danger, not more. I thank Secretary Bentsen for his sterling leadership. We joked a lot of times about whether there will be somebody blocking his entrance to his ranch when he goes quail hunting this fall -- (laughter) -- but I don't really think so. One of the things that I've learned since I've been here, even more than when I was a governor, is that very often a lot of these organized interest groups don't always represent the members -- their unorganized members -- and what they really feel in their heart of hearts. I want to thank the leaders of the law enforcement organizations that are here today -- Bob Scully, the Director of the National Association of Police Organizations; Sylvester Daughtry, the President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police; John Pitta, the Vice President of the Federal Law Enforcement Association; Mark Spurrier, the Director of the Major Cities Chiefs; and Chuck Wexler, who's with the Police Executives Research Forum. I want you all to think about what all you've heard. There are a lot of people in this audience today who have experienced a loss of life in their own family. And I realize that here today in a fundamental way we're sort of preaching to the saved. But what we hope to do here is to energize you to talk to those last few members of the House we need to put this bill over the top; to tell them this is not about gun control, it's about crime control. I would never do anything to infringe on the rights of sportsmen and women in this country. I have -- I guess I was 12 years old the first time I fired a .22 or a .410. But I think to hide behind the rights of sports people to justify the kind of unconscionable behavior that takes place every single day on the streets of this country is an unforgivable abuse of our common right to be hunters. It is an abuse of that. All over the world today, all you have to do is pick up the newspaper, any given day, and you see how we are worried about the disintegration of civic life in other countries. We read about the horror of Bosnia, and we say, my God, why can't the Muslims and the Serbs and the Croats just get along? We read about bodies being thrown into the river in Rwanda and say, good Lord, why are those people doing that to each other? We read now about the rise of organized crime in Russia, and it breaks our heart. They finally get rid of communism and they try to go to a more entrepreneurial society, and a new group of dark organizations springs up and commits murder. We worry about what's happening in our neighboring country south of our border, especially to our friends in Mexico, when we hear about what's being done by people running drugs. And we worry, we worry, we worry, and we don't look around and see -- we have more people behind bars already in this country, a higher percentage of our population, than any country in the world -- already. And when we come up with a bill like this, they say you ought to put more people in jail and keep them there longer. Well, some people ought to go to jail longer, and our crime bill does that. But our disintegration, my fellow Americans, is in the streets of our cities where, as John Magaw says, we have suffered a breakdown of family and work and community, and where that vacuum has been filled by guns like this, and people who use them in a very well organized way. Will this solve all of the problems in America? No. Like John said, this is a puzzle. We're trying to fill in the puzzle with the crime bill. And in the end, the puzzle has to be filled by people like this fine Chief out there on the streets of our cities, and whether the people who live in his community will work with it to take their streets back. But I'm telling you: This is an amazing -- it's amazing to me that we even have to have this debate. I mean, how long are we going to let this go on? San Francisco last summer, a gunman carrying two TEK-9s killed eight people and wounded six others. Last week, when we had an event for this bill, I'm sure a lot of you saw the husband of one of the women who was killed in that tragedy, Steve Sposato, who now is raising his beautiful daughter by himself. Yes, that guy was crazy, and maybe he'd have gone in there with that old six-shooter and killed somebody; but Steve Sposato would like to have his wife's chances back. Five years ago, a gunman using an AK-47 killed five elementary school kids. This happens every day. We lost two people and had three more wounded outside the CIA headquarters last year. Remember that -- with a gunman with an AK-47. So I say to you, I'm sorry to be so frustrated, but sometimes it seems that the President's job ought to be dealing with things that are not obvious. (Laughter.) I mean, at least health care is a complex subject. It's obvious we need to do something about it, but it's complicated. I concede that; I welcome these debates. How can we walk away from this? Especially when this bill protects over 650 specific hunting weapons? I mean, I don't understand why the organizations aren't saying, well, hallelujah, this is the first federal explicit protection we ever had for the means of hunting. And I really -- I was proud of what Mr. Magaw said, talking about the only color -- I mean, I have heard people with a straight face saying, well, there are some adults that like to go target practice with these things. Well, they need to read a good book. (Laughter and applause.) Or take up bowling -- (laughter) -- or just follow -- or, you know, you can hunt nearly 12 months out of the year if you hunt everything. (Laughter.) This is -- it is imperative. We just have a few days left. And I urge you to spend less time with each other and more time putting the hammer of your feelings into the deliberations in the House of Representatives. And something else -- no good member of the House or Senate, no Republican or Democrat, no rural legislator should ever fear losing their seat for voting for this bill. And something else you ought to do is tell every office you call: If you do this, I will fight for you for voting for this; I will -- there may be differences over other issues, but I will do everything I can to see that nothing diminishes your standing because of this. This is not a complicated issue. And we will have more issues like this. Every great society is going to face, for the foreseeable future, these incredible tensions between our freedom and our abuse of our freedom; between the need for liberty and the need for order; between our desire to have an entrepreneurial, free- flowing society and the absolute need for some discipline that enables us to live as human beings civilly together and give our children a chance to grow up. And some of the decisions we'll have to make will be more difficult than this. But this is a lay-down, no-brainer -- (laughter) -- and the Congress must not walk away from it. Please help us to pass it. (Applause.) Thank you. END12:46 P.M. EDT From almanac@WhiteHouse.Gov Tue May 10 09:59:58 1994 Received: from nova.unix.portal.com (nova.unix.portal.com [156.151.1.101]) by jobe.shell.portal.com (8.6.4/8.6.5) with ESMTP id JAA28316 for ; Tue, 10 May 1994 09:59:57 -0700 Received: from WhiteHouse.Gov (WhiteHouse.Gov [198.137.240.100]) by nova.unix.portal.com (8.6.7/8.6.5) with SMTP id JAA27506 for ; Tue, 10 May 1994 09:59:55 -0700 Received: by WhiteHouse.Gov (5.65/fma/mjr-120691); id AA18628; Tue, 10 May 94 12:58:40 -0400 Date: Tue, 10 May 94 12:58:40 -0400 Message-Id: <9405101658.AA18628@WhiteHouse.Gov> To: Jeff Chan From: publications@WhiteHouse.Gov (WhiteHouse.Gov publications server) Subject: RE: RE: your request Reply-To: publications@WhiteHouse.Gov Errors-To: almanac-bugs@WhiteHouse.Gov Status: RO -------- ## Regarding your request: sendfile 30767 THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release May 5, 1994 STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE PASSAGE OF THE ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN The Rose Garden 5:40 P.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: This afternoon, the House of Representatives rose to the occasion and stood up for the national interest. Two hundred and sixteen members stood up for our police, our children, and for safety on our streets. They stood up against the madness that we have come to see when criminals and terrorists have legal access to assault weapons, and then find themselves better armed than police, putting more and more people in increasing danger of their lives. The 19 assault weapons banned by this proposal are deadly, dangerous weapons. They were designed for one purpose only: to kill people. And as long as violent criminals have easy access to them, they will continue to be used to kill people. We as a nation are determined to turn that around. In the last year there has been a sea change in the crime debate. To be sure, there is still a national consensus in support of the rights of hunters and sportsmen to keep and bear their arms. And as along as I am President, those rights will continue to be protected. But we have also overcome the partisanship and the rhetoric that has divided us too long and kept us from our responsibilities to provide for law and order, to protect the peace and safety of ordinary Americans. We have come together in the belief that more police, more prisons, tougher sentences and better prevention, together can make our neighborhoods safer, our streets, our schools and our homes more secure. This legislation passed today now becomes part of a larger strategy to fight crime to make the American people safer. That's what the elected mayors and governors want without regard to party. That's what every major police organization wants, representing people who put their lives on the line to protect the rest of us. And, most importantly, that is what the American people want -- the right to be safe and secure without having their freedoms taken away by criminals or by an unresponsive or unreasoning national government. I want to especially thank Congressman Schumer for the tenacity, the determination that he demonstrated in leading this fight for so long in the House. (Applause.) And I want to thank every member of the House of Representatives in both parties who voted for this bill today, and in so doing, demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of extraordinary political pressure to walk away. I want to thank our remarkable Cabinet led by the Attorney General and by Secretary Bentsen who worked so hard for the passage of this legislation. (Applause.) I want to thank the band of stalwart workers here in the White House, in our Congressional Liaison Office and elsewhere, and especially I want to recognize Karen Hancox and Rahm Emanuel who never gave up and always believed we could win this fight. (Applause.) Let me conclude by reminding all of you that Americans are not divided by party or section or philosophy on their deep yearning and determination to be safer. And so I close by extending the hand of friendship to our friends on both sides of the aisle and both sides of this issue. In particular, to Chairman Jack Brooks whose leadership is going to bring us the toughest and most significant anticrime bill ever passed by the United States Congress. Let us go back to work until our work is finished. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Q Mr. President, how much difference did your lobbying make, sir, do you think? How much difference did your personal lobbying make, did you think? And when did you know that you had it, if it was before the vote itself? THE PRESIDENT: Well, it's hard for me to know how much difference my personal lobbying made. I made dozens of phone calls. I finished my phone calls last night at midnight and I started again this morning. And I continued up to the very end. To be candid, I never did know we were going to win. I don't think we ever knew for sure how this was going to come out. I had an instinct right at the beginning of the vote when I spoke with Congressman Carr. The hunters and sportsmen of this country and the National Rifle Association itself never had a better friend in the Congress than him. And he decided to vote for this measure because he thought it was the right thing to do. And after I hung up the phone -- that was right at the beginning of the vote, I think -- I said, you know, we might just pull this off. But I didn't know before then. Q Mr. President, there was a very broad subpoena served in the White House today which might raise a number of questions for you. How will you decide whether to assert executive or lawyer-client privilege on things that might be very private, such as notes to you from Vince Foster, or from you to Vince Foster? THE PRESIDENT: I don't know. I don't know anything about it. I've been working on this all day. I have no knowledge about it. THE PRESS: Thank you. END5:47 P.M. EDT From almanac@WhiteHouse.Gov Tue May 10 10:00:00 1994 Received: from nova.unix.portal.com (nova.unix.portal.com [156.151.1.101]) by jobe.shell.portal.com (8.6.4/8.6.5) with ESMTP id JAA28345 for ; Tue, 10 May 1994 09:59:59 -0700 Received: from WhiteHouse.Gov (WhiteHouse.Gov [198.137.240.100]) by nova.unix.portal.com (8.6.7/8.6.5) with SMTP id JAA27510 for ; Tue, 10 May 1994 09:59:56 -0700 Received: by WhiteHouse.Gov (5.65/fma/mjr-120691); id AA18634; Tue, 10 May 94 12:58:40 -0400 Date: Tue, 10 May 94 12:58:40 -0400 Message-Id: <9405101658.AA18634@WhiteHouse.Gov> To: Jeff Chan From: publications@WhiteHouse.Gov (WhiteHouse.Gov publications server) Subject: RE: RE: your request Reply-To: publications@WhiteHouse.Gov Errors-To: almanac-bugs@WhiteHouse.Gov Status: RO -------- ## Regarding your request: sendfile 189525 THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary _______________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release August 11, 1993 August 11, 1993 MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY SUBJECT: Importation of Assault Pistols A category of pistols commonly referred to as assault pistols has increasingly become the weapon of choice for drug dealers, street gang members, and other violent criminals. These pistols, generally characterized by their bulky military-style appearance and large magazine capacity, include domestically manufactured TEC-9's and MAC-10's as well as imported models like the Uzi pistol and the H&K SP-89. Their popularity appears to stem from their intimidating appearance and their considerable firepower. These weapons have been used to harm and terrorize many Americans, particularly our children, in recent years. As a result, it is no longer possible to stand by and witness the deadly proliferation of these weapons without acting to protect our communities. Although addressing the domestic production of these weapons requires a change in the statute, which I support, existing law already bans the importation of firearms unless they are determined to be particularly suitable for or readily adaptable for sporting purposes. I am informed that shortly after enact- ment of the Gun Control Act of 1968, the Treasury Department adopted a factoring system to determine whether handguns were importable pursuant to this standard. The system entails the examination of the firearm against a set of criteria, with points being awarded for various features. A minimum score is required before importation is approved. The criteria and weighted point system were designed to address the crime gun of the day, the cheap, easily concealable "Saturday Night Special." Under this 25-year old system, small caliber, easily concealable handguns score few points and are banned from importation. However, assault-type pistols -- the new crime gun of the day -- because of their large size, weight, and caliber, easily score the necessary points to qualify for importation even though none of these pistols appears to have any legitimate sporting purpose. Accordingly, it is time to reassess how the present regulatory approach can be made more effective in achieving the legislative directive to preclude importation of firearms that are not particularly suitable for or readily adaptable for sporting purposes. I hereby direct you to take the necessary steps to reexamine the current importation factoring system to determine whether the system should be modified to ensure that all nonsporting handguns are properly denied importation. You have advised me that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) will issue a notice of proposed rule-making in the near future that will propose changes to the factoring system to address the assault pistol problem. You have further advised me that effective immediately action on pending applications to import these weapons will be suspended, and that final action on any application will be delayed until this review process is completed. Nothing herein shall be construed to require actions contrary to applicable provisions of law. You are hereby authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register. WILLIAM J. CLINTON # # # From almanac@WhiteHouse.Gov Tue May 10 10:00:00 1994 Received: from nova.unix.portal.com (nova.unix.portal.com [156.151.1.101]) by jobe.shell.portal.com (8.6.4/8.6.5) with ESMTP id JAA28348 for ; Tue, 10 May 1994 09:59:59 -0700 Received: from WhiteHouse.Gov (WhiteHouse.Gov [198.137.240.100]) by nova.unix.portal.com (8.6.7/8.6.5) with SMTP id JAA27509 for ; Tue, 10 May 1994 09:59:56 -0700 Received: by WhiteHouse.Gov (5.65/fma/mjr-120691); id AA18632; Tue, 10 May 94 12:58:40 -0400 Date: Tue, 10 May 94 12:58:40 -0400 Message-Id: <9405101658.AA18632@WhiteHouse.Gov> To: Jeff Chan From: publications@WhiteHouse.Gov (WhiteHouse.Gov publications server) Subject: RE: RE: your request Reply-To: publications@WhiteHouse.Gov Errors-To: almanac-bugs@WhiteHouse.Gov Status: RO -------- ## Regarding your request: sendfile 30772 THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary _____________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release May 5, 1994 REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN ASSAULT WEAPONS EVENT The Rose Garden 9:50 A.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: In a few weeks the Congress will pass, and I will be able to sign, landmark legislation to fight crime in this country. Working together we have been able to show that crime is not a partisan issue, it's an American issue, and it requires comprehensive solutions -- more punishment, more prevention, more police officers. This afternoon, the House of Representatives will be considering a key part of that strategy -- a law that bans 19 deadly assault weapons that pose a clear and present danger to our citizens and to our police officers. Just two years ago, a similar law was defeated by a very wide margin in the House. Now we're a few votes away from a dramatic strike against these deadly weapons and the criminals who use them. Congressman Steve Neal, in an act of conviction and courage, has joined the ranks of House members who support our local police and fight for safe neighborhoods, joining forces with law enforcement and standing up to a lot of the misapprehension and fear and misinformation that has been spread by the opponents of this very sensible crime control measure. I want to thank Steve Neal and the citizens across this country who are concerned about this terrible problem, are in his debt. The vote to keep dangerous assault weapons out of the hands of criminals occurs this afternoon. Members are having to choose and make difficult choices between supporting the local police and their efforts to disarm criminals who can use these weapons to kill lots of people and those who are spreading fears about the reach of this law. Today, the American people hope and believe that common sense and the common good should prevail. With the help of people like Steve Neal, it will. I'm very grateful to him, and I wanted to give him the chance to say a few words this morning before we have the vote this afternoon. Congressman. REPRESENTATIVE NEAL: Thank you, sir. THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much. REPRESENTATIVE NEAL: Thank you. Well, I would say that the President is right about this. It is the first responsibility of our government to protect our citizens. There is a war going on on the streets of America -- mostly in the big cities -- and the police are outgunned. Now they say they need this legislation to help them protect us and our families against violent criminals. So we ought to give them this tool that they say they need to protect us against violence. Q Mr. President, what do you think of the caning of the American in Singapore? THE PRESIDENT: I think it was a mistake, as I said before, not only because of the nature of the punishment related to the crime, but because of the questions that were raised about whether the young man was, in fact, guilty and had voluntarily confessed. Q What are you going to do about it, Mr. President? THE PRESIDENT: Well, we're discussing that, actually, as we speak here, what would be an appropriate statement by our government in the aftermath of this. Q if the assault ban fails in Congress today, is there any administrative action you could take, say, through the Treasury Department, to ban these weapons yourself in the executive order or prohibition? THE PRESIDENT: I don't believe we can do that. There may be some things that we can do that will minimize the problem. But I don't think any options that are available to us will be as effective as the ban on these assault weapons. I do want to say, as I have talked to members, there are basically two classes of concerns among those who wish to vote for this bill. And I am convinced a majority, if left -- if they could vote anonymously, would vote for this bill. And there are two classes of concerns among those people. One is, some of the administrative requirements, which we'll circulate a letter today that Congressman Schumer and Mr. Synar and others have worked on, to satisfy the people who are worried about the recordkeeping requirements, all those concerns, those practical concerns can be -- in the conference report. The other is the so-called camel's nose inside the tent theory. A lot of our members are being told by folks back home that they have been convinced by the opponents of this bill that today it's these assault weapons, which they don't own, and tomorrow it'll be some legitimate hunting weapon, which they do own. Well, that's why the bill contains the list of over 600 specific weapons that are protected. So I hope that we can, in effect, just debunk that, can overcome that argument by the time of the vote this afternoon. Those are the two things I've been hearing. I was on the phone until about midnight last night. And I've made several calls again this morning working on this issue. And I believe we have a chance. It's very difficult, as you know -- we were way, way down when we started, and counted out right up until the 11th hour. But we may still have a chance to pass this because people like Steve Neal have been willing to come forward. Q Mr. President, The Wall Street Journal says that Judge Richard Arnold is now your favorite to become the next Supreme Court justice. Should he be penalized because he's from Arkansas? Is he your favorite? THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, I have no comment on whether I have a favorite or not. And, secondly, he shouldn't be penalized because he's from Arkansas. I mean, he was first in his class at Harvard and Yale; he's the Chief Judge of the 8th Circuit; and he's been head of the Appellate Judges Association. So I don't think anyone would question -- it would be difficult to find, just on terms of those raw qualifications, an appellate judge with equal or superior qualifications. I don't think any American would expect someone to be disqualified because they happen to come from my state. Q When will we learn about your selection? THE PRESIDENT: Well, there's one or two other things going on here, but we're working on it. We're spending a good deal of time on it. It won't be long. THE PRESS: Thank you. END10:00 A.M. EDT From almanac@WhiteHouse.Gov Tue May 10 10:00:57 1994 Received: from nova.unix.portal.com (nova.unix.portal.com [156.151.1.101]) by jobe.shell.portal.com (8.6.4/8.6.5) with ESMTP id KAA29318 for ; Tue, 10 May 1994 10:00:56 -0700 Received: from WhiteHouse.Gov (WhiteHouse.Gov [198.137.240.100]) by nova.unix.portal.com (8.6.7/8.6.5) with SMTP id KAA27611 for ; Tue, 10 May 1994 10:00:54 -0700 Received: by WhiteHouse.Gov (5.65/fma/mjr-120691); id AA18668; Tue, 10 May 94 12:59:39 -0400 Date: Tue, 10 May 94 12:59:39 -0400 Message-Id: <9405101659.AA18668@WhiteHouse.Gov> To: Jeff Chan From: publications@WhiteHouse.Gov (WhiteHouse.Gov publications server) Subject: RE: RE: your request Reply-To: publications@WhiteHouse.Gov Errors-To: almanac-bugs@WhiteHouse.Gov Status: RO -------- ## Regarding your request: topic MTV To request copies of matched files, note the file number and request the file by number using the "sendfile" command. 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