WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, May 10) -- Insisting "there is more for each of us to do," President Bill Clinton convened a White House brainstorming session Monday with members of the gun and entertainment industries to lay the groundwork for a "national campaign" to reduce violence among the nation's youth.

While the deadly shootings at a Littleton, Colorado high school prompted the White House to host the conference, Clinton said the strategy session was not intended to assign blame. "We are not here to place blame, but to shoulder responsibility," the president said.

Following Clinton's opening comments in the morning, the panel of parents, teen-agers, educators, gun manufacturers, gun control advocates, religious leaders and members of the entertainment industry held thee hours of closed-door talks about the symptoms and solution to the rise in youth violence.

President Clinton spoke Monday at a summit on youth violence

Following the conference, Clinton offered no details concerning the solutions discussed, but said he considered the exchange lively and fruitful, "exactly the kind of session I had hoped for."

Taking the steps within his power, the president announced that he has ordered U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher to prepare the first report in 10 years on the causes of youth violence.

Clinton also said the Federal Communications Commission was establishing a V-Chip Task force to ensure effective implementation of the V-Chip, the device that allows parents to block inappropriate television programming.

Clinton hoped the morning's White House strategy would launch "a national campaign to prevent youth violence, a grassroots effort that would involve all Americans from every community and all walks of life."

Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, along with Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper, hosted approximately 60 participants, ranging from America Online's chief executive to poet Maya Angelou.

The tragedy at Littleton's Columbine High School -- the latest incident of school violence in America -- renewed the debate over what could cause two seniors to shoot 12 other students, a teacher before killing themselves. Some point fingers at the easy access to weapons in the U.S., while others blame increasingly violent images and language in movies, video games and song lyrics.

In remarks delivered after the conference, the president said much of the responsibility lies with parents, challenging them to turn off violent TV programs or not buy graphic computer games. "If no one consumes these products, people will stop producing them. They will not build it if you don't come," Clinton said.

But Clinton also appealed to the entertainment and media industries as well: "We cannot pretend that there is no impact on our culture and our children that is adverse if there is too much violence coming out of what they see and experience.

"And so, we have to ask the people who produce things to consider the consequences of them, whether it's a violent movie, a CD, a video game. If they are made, they at least should not be marketed to children," the president said at a Rose Garden event with all the conference participants.

Clinton also urged Congress to "join in this campaign by passing the legislation necessary to keep guns out of the hands of children."

Some gun manufacturers open to controls

The president announced that some representatives of gun owners and manufacturers would support some of his gun control proposals.

"We have found common ground on some common sense measures," Clinton said, on "banning violent juveniles from buying guns, raising the age on handgun ownership from 18 to 21, closing the gun show loophole, holding reckless parents responsible for giving children access to guns, reducing the illegal gun trafficking by helping law enforcement trace weapons used in a crime."

In attendance at the White House summit were five representatives of gun manufacturers and gun owners, including leaders from the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the American Shooting Sports Council. Also on hand was Bill Brewster, a former U.S. Representative and a board member of the National Rifle Association.

The NRA held its own news conference Monday morning to review its proposals to help prevent violent crime.

NRA executive vice president Wayne LaPierre said the Clinton Administration should resist a knee-jerk urge to explore more restrictive gun laws and instead push for better enforcement of those already on the books.

"All that counts in the end is criminals all over this country with guns are walking free. In Columbine, those two murderers broke 18 laws on the books. You could pass 50, but the problem is bad people still do bad things. And it comes down in the end in almost all cases of criminal violence with guns to prosecution," LaPierre said.

CNN's Chris Black, Gene Randall and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Monday, May 10, 1999

• White House summit looks for answers to youth violence
• Chung testimony: I'm not a Chinese agent
• Bradley, Gore split in some key Senate votes
• First lady urges parents to keep kids away from guns
• Campaign 2000 briefs: Bush; Bradley; Bauer; Dole; McCain
• Energy Department plans major overhaul of nuclear lab security
• Industry -- but not NRA -- backs some restrictions on guns
• High-tech, banking propel lobbying
• RNC turns sights on Bradley
• Capital's river flows through history
• Reno, rockers fight teen violence
• Michigan Democrats adopt caucus plan
• Oklahoma senator makes emergency landing
• Live from New York, it's Monica Lewinsky
• Report: Court papers show scientist gave U.S. radar secrets to China

ARCHIVES