Updated 7:02 p.m. ET (0002 GMT) March 29, 2000 By K.S. O'Donoghue In his second White House press conference of 2000, President Clinton focused on gun control and the decision by major oil-producing nations to increase oil production. Clinton promoted "common sense" gun-control laws, which has become a staple issue at many of his public appearances and was the major point of the first press conference, held in February.
He said it is time to prevent easy gun purchases at gun shows, end gun imports and multiple weapons purchases, and make trigger locks mandatory. He said the Brady Bill, which places mandatory waiting periods on handgun purchases, shows that "gun safety measures do work and do not interfere" with a citizen's constitutional right to bear arms.
"For the sake of our children, I urge Congress to stop the delay" on new gun-control legislation, Clinton said, adding that those legislators opposed to gun control "have run out of arguments and are not trying to run out the clock." Clinton leaves office in less than a year.
Asked how he felt about comments made by actor Charlton Heston, head of the National Rifle Association, that there is no need to add new gun laws when many are not enforced, Clinton responded by saying that prosecution of gun-law offenders was up under his administration.
The gaggle of assembled reporters laughed when Clinton compared the gun lobby's take on gun control laws to "annoying" metal detectors at airports.
"All these people that go through airport metal detectors, 99.999 percent of them are law-abiding, good people, and it is annoying if you have a money clip or a rodeo belt buckle that sets it off," he said. "Maybe we should just remove them and throw the book at the first person who sets one off."
He used driving as another example, saying most Americans are responsible drivers, so "maybe we should repeal drivers license laws and speed limit laws," and when someone causes a 25-car pile-up "we should throw the book at them."
"A sensible society should have a balance between prevention and punishment," he said after making his point that the laws are necessary "for the safety of the American people," not to hurt legitimate gun owners.