From the archives: Clinton looking for new ways to curb guns, violence

Decrying the Long Island Rail Road shootings as "a terrible human tragedy," President Bill Clinton said yesterday that the United States should consider more drastic and far-reaching measures to control guns, contain violence and fight crime.

"My own view is, this thing has gotten so serious that we should consider a lot of things that we haven't done in the past," he said at a Blair House luncheon with reporters. "I want to have a chance to look at all of the options and come out with a comprehensive approach."

The president's statement was part of a chorus of grief, outrage and debate following Tuesday's tragedy that left five dead and 20 wounded after a gunman opened fire on fellow passengers aboard the 5:33 train from Penn Station.

Clinton said he had asked Attorney General Janet Reno to review proposals by New York City Mayor-elect Rudolph Giuliani and Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan to establish a national gun registration system. The president also said he may propose making it more difficult to obtain a federal gun dealers' license.

Asked about measures such as controversial "stop-and-frisk" programs on city streets - aimed at finding and seizing illegal firearms - Clinton replied, "I wouldn't take that off of the table." But he said he wasn't yet ready to endorse them.

"I think what we need . . . is some sort of strategy to do on a national basis what some cities have done, which is to try to do an illegal weapons sweep - you know . . . an amnesty or something to get them all, get as many turned in as you can," he said.

Without that, he added, "There's going to be quite a long time lag for some of these laws to take effect unless you can get people to turn back in a lot of these weapons that are illegally held."

Meanwhile, FBI Director Louis Freeh, who ducked a question on assault weapons at his Senate confirmation hearing last summer, called yesterday for a complete ban on the manufacture, sale and distribution of assault-style weapons. He said they "serve only to provide a source of strength and power to America's criminal elements."

Freeh also advocated banning ammunition that breaks into pieces to increase physical damage to a shooting victim.
In a prepared statement, Gov. Mario Cuomo deplored the shooting, and a spokesman for his office, David Egner, said the incident underscored the need for tougher state gun laws. But Sen. Ralph Marino (R-Muttontown), the State Senate majority leader, renewed calls for the death penalty, which Cuomo opposes, and said federal, not state legislation, was needed to control guns.

Clinton used the Long Island shootings to lobby for the assault-weapons ban included in the Senate version of the crime bill now being considered by Congress. He said the ban would prohibit the 15-round clips used by the gunman.

"The rapid fire of the gun was something that almost paralyzed all the people on the car," Clinton said. "When the guy had to change clips and was wrestled to the ground, that seems to me to be a pretty good argument for the Feinstein amendment" banning assault weapons.

"The most important thing is there has been a sea change in public attitude," the president went on. "I am convinced that most Americans now realize how profoundly important these crime and violence issues are, and how it's time to face them."
Meanwhile, Rep. Charles Schumer (D-Brooklyn) and Handgun Control Inc., an advocacy group, yesterday unveiled a gun-control proposal that would create a national licensing procedure, ban certain types of weapons and limit purchases to one gun a month. Schumer said he would introduce the bill when Congress returns next month.

"I want to assure the families of the victims on Long Island that we can stop this violence," Schumer said. He was accompanied by Sarah and Jim Brady, leaders in the battle for gun control since the former presidential press secretary was seriously injured in the 1981 assassination attempt against President Ronald Reagan.

But Jerry Preiser, president of the Federation of New York State Rifle and Pistol Clubs, criticized the calls for more gun controls. "Charles Schumer and Mario Cuomo keep talking about more gun-control laws, but those only affect law-abiding citizens and gun licensees," he said. "The guy who shot up the train wasn't law abiding and he wasn't a licensee."
Lou Dolinar and Somini Sengupta contributed to this story, which was supplemented with news service reports.

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, State Department of Health