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Clinton and Webb Call for Action in
Denver at Gun Safety Rally By
Tony Iallonardo A week before the first anniversary
of the killings of Columbine schoolchildren at a suburban Colorado high school,
President Clinton said April 12 in Colorado that the gun lobby is trying to
obstruct sensible gun control nationwide. Clinton congratulated a bipartisan
group of activists, including Conference of Mayors President and Denver Mayor
Wellington, E. Webb, for working for approval of a state ballot measure that
would require background checks for buyers at Colorado gun shows, as Clinton
wants to do nationally. Webb addressed the audience, and Clinton specifically, saying: “Mr. President, It has been said on many occasions over the past 12 months, that the eyes of the nation are on our city and our state. Many observers in public and private life felt that the profound tragedy of 358 days ago was a defining moment; that from this unspeakable sadness would come the will in our state legislature and our United States Congress to establish meaningful and sensible regulations of firearms. But this did not happen. Congress failed to act. And our own Legislature failed to pass even the modest, bipartisan proposals put forth by our Governor and Attorney General. Meanwhile, the gun violence death toll - month by month, day by day - continues to rise.” “You are not alone, and America is listening,” Clinton said The Colorado initiative is sponsored by Sane Alternatives to the Firearms Epidemic, a group formed after Columbine. It would require a background check before a vendor could sell a gun at a gun show, with criminal misdemeanor penalties for offenders. Under current federal law, unlicensed dealers may sell weapons in private transactions without subjecting the purchasers to a background check. Clinton announced he would attend the SAFE rally after his own bill became mired on Capitol Hill. As the Columbine anniversary approached, White House aides acknowledged this week that there is no chance of a national gun-show bill before April 20. The Colorado visit is Clinton’s second foray in two days to promote gun control. On Tuesday he stood by as Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening signed a law making that state the first to require built-in locks on handguns while imposing other stringent gun-control rules. Webb is scheduled to appear in New York City April 18 to unveil a survey that tabulates gun deaths since the Columbine tragedy. In addition to the survey, the Conference’s memorial wall of gun victims will be displayed in Rockefeller Plaza. 
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