Interview with Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer and a Discussion with Students on ABC's ''Good Morning America''

Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999 / June 4 Interview With Charles Gibson and Diane Sawyer and a Discussion With Students on ABC’s ‘‘Good Morning America’’ June 4, 1999 Situation in the Balkans or could come quite soon. The paper that Mr. Mr. Gibson. We are here to talk about a Ahtisaari gave to the Serbs provided for military- subject which really is on everybody’s mind and to-military contacts. Those contacts are to occur has been the topic of conversation ever since very soon, in the next several hours, probably the Littleton shootings at Columbine High. But early tomorrow, their time. And then we could I can’t ignore the fact, obviously, that there were proceed pretty quickly. events yesterday involving perhaps peace in So, believe me, I’m anxious to end the bomb- Yugoslavia and Serbia with the Serbs. Does your ing, but I want to know that our objectives gut tell you we have peace? have been achieved. The President. Well, I’m encouraged. I think that, first of all, President Ahtisaari of Finland War Crimes and Mr. Chernomyrdin did a very good job. Mr. Gibson. A couple of very quick questions. They got our positions very close together and Were war crimes—the war crimes against Mr. then presented it to Mr. Milosevic, and they Milosevic discussed at all in the talks? have accepted it. The President. I don’t believe they were. 1 But over the last 6 ⁄2 years, I’ve had a number Mr. Gibson. His staying in office, were they of agreements with Mr. Milosevic, and the only discussed—was that discussed? one that has been kept is the Dayton agreement The President. That’s not part of the terms where we had forces on the ground. So I will that NATO set out in the beginning. feel much better about this when we have evi- Mr. Gibson. So that question is simply dence that there is a real withdrawal of Serb left—— forces and when we’re moving in. The President. That question is left open. Mr. Gibson. But the word is that they’ve ac- Now, he is subject to the jurisdiction of the cepted the terms that we sent in, so why keep International War Crimes Tribunal, which bombing them in the interim? When a bully means that if he comes within the jurisdiction cries ‘‘uncle,’’ you let him up, let him go home. of any country that is cooperating with the You don’t keep hitting on him. United Nations, they would have an obligation The President. Well, you have been reporting to turn him over. But that was not a part of about the nature of the continuing campaign. the terms necessary to secure return of the I think it’s important that we continue the mili- Kosovars and, therefore, we have to proceed tary action against the military targets until we with the conditions we set out—— have some evidence that there are more than 1 Mr. Gibson. And very quickly, will the troops, words here. For 6 ⁄2 years, we’ve had various the peacekeeping forces, once they go in, be agreements, but until we had the agreement under unified command? ending the war in Bosnia at Dayton, the others The President. Yes. They have to be. We have weren’t kept. And so I think that—and we’ve to have an organized, unified way of dealing had the same problem in Kosovo. We want to with this, because their lives will be at stake, know that the military forces are withdrawing, too. and we want to have the timetable for our people going in. Mr. Gibson. So what is the evidence that Gun Control Legislation would bring about a pause in the bombing? Mr. Gibson. All right. Let me turn to the Is it the beginning of the withdrawal of the situation of kids and guns. The House, in the troops, once you see X number out? next few weeks, is going to start debating a The President. We want to see—we want to bill that includes some gun control measures have a militarily verifiable withdrawal of the that were passed by the Senate. And political troops and an agreement about the introduction points will be scored by both sides in that de- of the international force. That should come— bate. 877 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 11:57 Mar 19, 2001 Jkt 010199 PO 00000 Frm 00877 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 C:\99PUBPAP\99PUBPAP.TXT txed01 PsN: txed01 June 4 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999 But you and I know, don’t we, really, that The President. So we have to make—anything it’s not going to make a damn bit of dif- we can do to keep guns out of the hands of ference—only on the margins—in the way kids criminals and kids, we ought to do. get guns. Mr. Gibson. But when you went to Littleton, The President. Well, first of all, I don’t nec- a friend of yours who supports you on gun con- essarily agree with that. I think the Brady bill trol said to me in the last 48 hours, ‘‘The Presi- has made a real difference; having the back- dent’’—because, as he said, Littleton has seared ground checks matters. We know that 250,000 the national conscience—‘‘the President had a people, from the time I signed the Brady bill chance to roar on gun control, and he meowed.’’ in ’94 until last year, were unable to get hand- And that was a friend of yours. There are very guns. We know just since the insta-check went basic measures that could be taken that people in last year, another 36,000 people have been agree on. We register every automobile in denied the right to get handguns. So closing America—— the gun show loophole matters. Doing a back- The President. Absolutely. ground check for some other things I rec- Mr. Gibson. ——we don’t register guns. ommended, a background check for explosives That’s a step that would make a difference. as well—very important in the Littleton case— The President. Look, let’s join the real world these things will matter. here. You want to have an honest conversation? Now, does more need to be done? I think Let’s have an honest conversation. I am the so. I think that more does need to be done. first President who ever took on the NRA. I The Speaker of the House agreed that we ought got my party in Congress to stand with me on to make it unlawful for people under 21 to the Brady bill, which has made a difference, have handguns, and I was encouraged by that. on the assault weapons ban. We are now in And that’s, of course, something I’m supporting. the process of closing loopholes in the assault Mr. Gibson. But even with the checks, what weapons ban. you can’t get in the front door, so many people What happened to them when they did that? go around and get in the back door. Forty per- In 1994 we lost between 12 and 20 members cent of the gun sales in this country are unregu- of the House of Representatives because they lated; nobody checks them. There are a group were targeted by the NRA for standing up for of kids that you’re going to meet in the next the lives of our children. half hour who are going to tell you, ‘‘If I want Now, wait a minute—you talk about roaring to get a gun, I can go get one, and nobody’s and meowing—then I came forward with this going to know about it, and I’ll have it within legislation. Did this roar through the Senate? a week.’’ No. We passed a bill closing the gun show loop- The President. That’s true, but the more we hole by 51–50 because of the Vice President move to make such transactions and possession of the United States. Did the House of Rep- unlawful and the more we move against people resentatives make a priority out of what was who perpetrate them, the more success we will passed in the Senate and pass it right through? have. No. They went home before taking action. Why? You know, it’s funny, even the NRA says, To give the NRA time to lobby them, to water ‘‘Well, we ought to prosecute crimes.’’ Well, we down what was passed. ought to make the right things crimes, and we Now, I have made it perfectly clear that I ought to make it unlawful for children to possess want to get what was passed in the Senate these weapons. We ought to make it unlawful passed in the House. Then we will come back for people to sell them to them or to transfer and try to pass some more things, because to them, and we ought to close the loopholes Littleton did sear the conscience of the Nation. in the law. And as we do that, we will make The question is not whether we have seared a difference. the conscience of the Nation; the question is Also, keep in mind that the Littleton example whether, on gun issues, whether the people who is not the only example that we have to be now constitute the House and the Senate will mindful of. There are 13 children a day who pass what is sensible. are shot in America, who lose their lives, in And I intend to do that.

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