WASHINGTON, Feb. 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Following is a transcript of a White House Press Briefing today by Ari Fleischer: 12:08 p.m. EST
The James S. Brady Briefing Room
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Q The nation witnessed another workplace violence shooting yesterday. And when President Clinton was here, he often used workplace shootings as a means of delivering another message to Capitol Hill about gun control.
I know the President doesn't agree with what President Clinton said, but we have an incident here where someone who had been convicted of a crime gained access to weapons. Does the President have anything general to say about this shooting, or anything that informs him or the Justice Department about how to proceed on the issue of guns and crime?
MR. FLEISCHER: Well, that whole issue is one on which the President, as you know, has spoken out in favor of -- for example, and this doesn't immediately address the shooting, which unfortunately -- too often with these laws, there are people who are going to break laws, and we cannot stop that in all cases. But what the President has proposed is to have safety locks, mandatory sales of safety locks with hand guns. In Texas, he proposed raising the age at which a youth could gain access to a handgun from 18 to 21.
Q Is he going to propose legislation like that?
MR. FLEISCHER: Yes.
Q It's been holed up for one year in Hatch's committee for safety locks for children.
MR. FLEISCHER: The President, during the course of the campaign, talked about the safety locks should be national policy as well.
Q He is going to propose a gun control law?
MR. FLEISCHER: That's what he campaigned on, that's what he will do.
Q What about accelerating programs such as the program that many are familiar in Richmond, which used the U.S. Attorneys, who are very vigorous in enforcing federal gun laws? Perhaps in a case like this, in Chicago that may have had some effect, perhaps not. The jurisdictional differences might have interfered. How about stepping up things such as that?
MR. FLEISCHER: Let me refer you to -- there were a series of commitments the President made during the course of the campaign on gun safety and on gun programs. But the President -- let me also advise you that the President does believe one of the answers is in tougher enforcement of the current laws, to make certain that the laws that are on the books are enforced, which will be a role of the Attorney General. We believe that especially in school zones and people who bring guns into schools -- there are federal laws prohibiting that, and we can step up enforcement of those laws.
Scott, is there anything else that the President proposed to do?
MR. McCLELLAN: It also rises to what he's talked about, about changing our culture and -- responsibility.
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MR. FLEISCHER: On the gun question, I do have -- let me walk people through the President's proposals during the campaign on that. We are to establish Project Century, which is a federal/state partnership to provide funding for safe school task forces; Project Child Safe, which is a $75 million a year program for five years, matching funds with a goal of providing free trigger locks for every handgun owner in America, stronger enforcement of existing gun laws and providing funding for aggressive law enforcement programs, such as Project Exile.
Support automatic detention for juveniles who commit crimes with guns. Support a ban for life on serious juvenile offenders from ever purchasing or carrying a gun.
Q Has he got a commitment from Hatch to --
MR. FLEISCHER: One second. Support increasing the minimum age for possession of a handgun from 18 to 21, and support an assault weapon ban for juveniles. Support instant background checks. And the President would also ban importation of high-capacity ammunition clips, and close the gun show loophole
Q Is he aware that Hatch sat on a bill for one year and wouldn't let it come to a vote on the floor?
MR. FLEISCHER: President Bush has been in office now for approximately just over two weeks.
Q He doesn't have to be in office. He could have known that like anyone else in America.
MR. FLEISCHER: This will be another one of our agenda items that we are going to work with the Congress on.
Q Ari, on trigger locks, that's voluntary and not mandatory; is that right?
MR. FLEISCHER: The sale would be mandatory. The use, you cannot go into people's homes and say, "Where is your trigger lock? You must put that on." You can only hope that parents and others will see fit to do so.
Q But if you bought a handgun, you would have to buy a trigger lock at the time of purchasing the gun?
MR. FLEISCHER: That would be provided with the sale of the gun.
Q What about guns you already own?
MR. FLEISCHER: That's why the President is setting up a program to provide free trigger locks for those who need them. He set up that program in Texas. And it would be for all existing handgun owners. The President would set up a program to do that nationally.
