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Clinton: Marchers Will Send Clear Message to Congress
U.S. President Bill Clinton said Saturday that Sunday's march will send a clear message to the
Republican Congress to act on gun legislation.
"Congress must pass common-sense gun legislation to protect our children without constraining the rights of legitimate gun owners," Clinton said in his weekly radio address.
He said every day in the United States nearly a dozen children are killed by guns, either intentionally or accidentally, leaving families with "a wound that never heals."
Thousands of parents and children in the United States will rally for the licensing of gun owners and registration of firearms in a Mother's Day in Washington Sunday.
The "Million Mom March" will take over the National Mall, while supporters plan to gather in nearly other communities in support of greater gun control. Scheduled participants include entertainers, politicians and parents who personally experienced gun violence.
Sponsors want to convince Congress that ordinary Americans and parents who personally experienced gun violence.
Meanwhile, also Sunday, members of a pro-gun organization, Second Amendment Sisters, plan speeches on the Washington Monument grounds and a march to the Capitol. The event is independent of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Gun control legislation is stalled in the U.S. Congress and prospects for action appear dim in an election year.
The U.S. Senate approved several measures a year ago, including a requirement that weapons have child safety locks. It also would require a three-day waiting period before a sale by an unlicensed
gun seller at a gun show. The same time frame is currently required for licensed dealer sales at shows and in stores.
The Senate also approved language that would ban the importation of large-capacity ammunition clips; ban possession of firearms by those convicted of committing violent crimes as
juveniles, and prohibit juveniles from acquiring assault weapons.
However, the House rejected any new controls and there are no scheduled meetings between House and Senate conferees.
The Clinton administration strongly supports the safety locks and waiting period language and has criticized the failure of conferees to meet to fashion a compromise.
The NRA and its supporters argue there are plenty of gun regulations now but the administration has not been enforcing them.
The "Million Mom March" organizers want further restrictions beyond the Senate-approved measures. Chief among them is the registration of all handguns and a license for their owners.
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