PRESIDENT CLINTON'S ADDRESS

January 27, 2000
		In the final State of the Union address of his term, President Bill Clinton discusses his goals for education, health care, the environment and other issues.

Online Newshour Special Report: The 2000 State of the Union Clinton's Address Part 1 Introduction Part 2 Education and Health Care Part 3 Crime and Guns Part 4 Global Economy and Int'l Relations Part 5 Environment and Technology Part 6 The American Community GOP Response Sen. Collins Education and the Economy Sen. Frist Health Care   White House U.S. Senate U.S. House of Representatives	Crime in America has dropped for the past seven years -- the longest decline on record, thanks to a national consensus we helped to forge on community police, sensible gun safety laws and effective prevention. But nobody believes America is safe enough. So let's set a higher goal: Let's make America the safest big country in the world.
	We must strengthen gun laws
	Last fall, Congress supported my plan to hire -- in addition to the 100,000 community police we have already funded -- 50,000 more, concentrated in high-crime neighborhoods. I ask your continued support. Soon after the Columbine tragedy, Congress considered common-sense gun safety legislation to require Brady background checks at gun shows, child safety locks for all new handguns, and a ban on the importation of large-capacity ammunition clips. With courage -- and a tie-breaking vote by the vice president -- the Senate faced down the gun lobby, stood up for the American people, and passed this legislation. But the House failed to follow suit. We've all seen what happens when guns fall into the wrong hands. Daniel Mauser was only 15 years old when he was gunned down at Columbine. He was an amazing kid, a straight-A student, a good skier. Like all parents who lose their children, his father, Tom, has borne unimaginable grief. Somehow Tom has found the strength to honor his son by transforming his grief into action. Earlier this month, he took a leave of absence from his job to fight for tougher gun safety laws. I pray that his courage and wisdom will move this Congress to make common-sense gun safety legislation the very next order of business. Tom, thank you for being here tonight. We must strengthen gun laws and better enforce laws already on the books. Federal gun crime prosecutions are up 16 percent since I took office. But again, we must do more. I propose to hire more federal and local gun prosecutors, and more ATF agents to crack down on illegal gun traffickers and bad-apple dealers. And we must give law enforcement the tools to trace every gun -- and every bullet -- used in a crime in America. Listen to this: The accidental gun death rate of children under 15 in the United States is nine times higher than in the other 25 industrialized nations -- combined. Technologies now exist that could lead to guns that can only be fired by the adults who own them. I ask Congress to fund research in smart gun technology. I also call on responsible leaders in the gun industry to work with us on smart guns and other steps to keep guns out of the wrong hands and keep our children safe. Every parent I know worries about the impact of violence in the media on their children. I thank the entertainment industry for accepting my challenge to put voluntary ratings on TV programs and video and Internet games. But the ratings are too numerous, diverse and confusing to be really useful to parents. Therefore, I now ask the industry to accept the first lady's challenge -- to develop a single, voluntary rating system for all children's entertainment, one that is easier for parents to understand and enforce. If we take all these steps, we will be well on our way to making America the safest big country in the world.