New Report on Gun Violence in Public Housing


THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary


For Immediate Release February 16, 2000



PRESIDENT CLINTON ANNOUNCES NEW REPORT ON
GUN VIOLENCE IN PUBLIC HOUSING
February 16, 2000

At his press conference today, President Clinton will announce that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will release the first-ever comprehensive analysis of gun-related violence at public housing. The report shows that, consistent with national crime trends, crime has decreased in public housing since 1993 -- sometimes at a greater rate than in surrounding communities. Despite reductions in crime and gun violence, people who receive housing assistance remain twice as likely to be victims of gun violence. Nearly one person is killed each day by gunfire in the nation’s largest 100 public housing communities. To help address this problem, the President will call upon Congress to pass stronger gun laws this year, and to enact both his $280 million national gun enforcement initiative and HUD’s $30 million gun violence reduction initiative.

THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF GUN VIOLENCE IN PUBLIC HOUSING EVER RELEASED. More than 2.6 million residents live in public and assisted housing, including one million children and 360,000 elderly residents. Today’s report, "In the Crossfire: The Impact of Gun Violence on Public Housing Communities," examines the scope and magnitude of gun-related violence in public housing, as well as the costs associated with gun violence -- both the financial costs of administering effective security measures, and the social costs borne by residents. Based on newly available data from both HUD and the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, the report’s key findings include:

WORKING TO REDUCE GUN VIOLENCE IN PUBLIC HOUSING. To address the problem of gun violence, both criminal and accidental, in our nation’s public housing and communities, the President’s FY 2001 budget includes a $30 million Community Gun Safety and Violence Reduction Initiative. This HUD initiative will fund: 1) improved local crime analysis, such as crime mapping that uses Geographic Information Systems technology, to enable local responses targeted to at-risk areas; 2) education and outreach initiatives using a variety of media to educate the public and housing residents of the risks posed by firearms; and 3) innovative performance-based local crime reduction and prevention strategies.

FIGHTING FOR PASSAGE OF COMMON SENSE GUN LEGISLATION AND THE MOST AGGRESSIVE FIREARMS ENFORCEMENT INITIATIVE IN HISTORY. The President will highlight additional proposals to keep guns out of the wrong hands, including the Administration’s proposal to create a state-based licensing system for all handgun purchasers to ensure that all buyers have passed a background check and know how to safely handle and store their gun. In addition, the President will emphasize that it is long past time for Congress to pass common-sense gun measures to close the gun show loophole, ban the importation of large capacity ammunition clips, and require child safety locks for handguns. And finally, the President will urge enactment of his unprecedented $280 million gun enforcement initiative to hire 500 new ATF agents and inspectors, over 1,000 new federal, state and local gun prosecutors, and fund comprehensive crime gun tracing and increased ballistics testing to catch and prosecute more gun criminals.

What's New - February 2000

From Digital Divide to Digital Opportunity

Creation of the Presidents Council on the Future of Princeville, North Carolina

Strengthening Cyber Security through Public-Private Partnership

The Clinton-Gore Economic Record

American Heart Month, 2000

Cyber Security Budget Initiatives

FY2001 Climate Change Budget

Climate Change Technology Initiative

Action To Ban Genetic Discrimination In The Federal Workplace

Statement on Low Income Home Energy Assistance

Helping Our Communities Save Precious Lands

Steps to Ensure Full Participation in Census 2000

New Report on Gun Violence in Public Housing

Fact Sheet: Income Eligibility for LIHEAP Assistance February 19, 2000

Clinton-Gore Administration Announces New Actions to Improve Patient Safety

President Clinton Takes Action to Help Low-Income Families to Get on the Road to Work

Helping to Build the New Economy - February 24, 2000

President Clinton Calls for Passage of His Historic FY2001 Native American Initiative - February 25, 2000

International Clean Energy Initiative

The Clinton-Gore Economic Record: Strong and Sustained Growth

Report On Gun Industry

Working to Mitigate the Effects of High Home Heating Oil Prices

New Steps To Reduce Youth Smoking

Supporting Passenger Rail for Our Nations Transportation Future

National African American History Month, 2000

New State-By-State Report Demonstrating Urgent Need for Medicare Reform


President and First Lady | Vice President and Mrs. Gore
Record of Progress | The Briefing Room
Gateway to Government | Contacting the White House | White House for Kids
White House History | White House Tours | Help
Privacy Statement

Help

Site Map

Graphic Version

T H E   W H I T E   H O U S E