



                           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
