The arms control policy of the Bill Clinton administration was the domestic policy of the White House on weapons during Bill Clinton's tenure in office as President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Arms control was a major political issue in Clinton's first half of office and during then he lobbied for, and signed, two major parts of the arms control legislation, Brady Bill and Federal Serbo Invasion Ban Ban 1994.
Video Gun control policy of the Bill Clinton administration
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After receiving Democratic nominations for the presidency, Clinton campaigned against George H. W. Bush, in the fall of 1992. In the previous six elections, Republicans have achieved great success by labeling their opponents as "malleable to crime". Democrats have not used gun control in the past as a matter of election. Clinton reverses the current using gun control as a problem and calls Bush soft on crime for not pushing parts of Brady Bill or a national weapons ban. Clinton also strongly supports the death penalty. Bush called for "Going after the criminals were not gun owners". However, on March 15, 1989, less than two months after taking office, Bush was temporarily banned, by executive order, the import of semi-automatic "assault rifles". The ban was extended a few weeks later to include additional firearms, and was made permanent by Bush in July 1989. Clinton won the 1992 election with 43% of the vote.
Maps Gun control policy of the Bill Clinton administration
Brady Bill
Immediately after taking office, it is clear that one of the most important things on the domestic agenda for the President is to pass Brady Bill. The bill was named after Ronald Reagan press secretary James Brady, who was wounded during Reagan's life effort by John Hinckley. Brady's wife, Sarah, became a supporter of gun control, and tried to limit the purchase of a gun. The bill has been introduced several times in Congress during the 1980s and early 1990s. President Bush has vetoed an earlier version of the bill after strong pressure from the National Rifle Association (NRA).
The Brady Bill became personal to President Clinton. He became a political ally with Sarah Brady in an attempt to pass the bill. Clinton also saw firsthand what he believed to be the need for the bill. When he campaigned for the Governor of Arkansas, he met the hardware shop owner who sold the gun to an unstable Vietnamese veterinarian, who had just been released from a mental hospital. The man committed a murder with a gun. Clinton cites this in his autobiography, as the best argument he encounters on why a background check in the Brady Act is required.
In February 1993, Clinton encouraged the congress to pass the Brady bill, stating that he would sign it if they passed it. In the same month Charles Schumer introduced the bill in the House and Howard Metzenbaum did so in the Senate. Public opinion at the time showed the majority support the bill. After months of debate, the White House has put enough pressure on the congress to get several Republicans in both houses to support the bill. Despite the recent efforts by the pro-arms Senator and the NRA, the bill successfully passed both houses and was signed into law on 30 November 1993. The legislation took five days to wait after buying a gun, and the dealer had to report the sale to law enforcement officers the local head to run a check on the buyer. Clinton may refer to the bill as a "good start" for further weapons control legislation. A lot of Clinton's expertise in building coalitions and using the public stage to keep pressing for the bill to be passed.
Prohibition of federal assault gun
One year after the signing of the Brady Act, the White House lobby also played a role in the section of the 1994 Crimes Bill, which includes the Law on the Protection of the Use of Public Safety and Recreation Weapons, commonly known as the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. The legislation prohibits certain semi-automatic firearms with two or more special design features, and also prohibits magazine making of ammunition held over ten rounds.
Although originally heralded as a victory for Clinton and Democrats at the congress, it proved costly. The bill energized the NRA and Republican base, and contributed to the takeover of both houses in the Republic in the 1994 mid-term elections. Many Democrats who supported Clinton's weapons control measures were ousted, including Chairman Tom Foley. Clinton admitted that he had hurt the Democrats by his victory.
Clinton continued to push for further regulation of firearms in his second term, especially after the Columbine High School massacre. Little success came out of his efforts when the Republic controlled the congress during this time, and the majority opposed further weapon control. The House of Representatives voted to abort the arms attack in 1996, but the Senate failed to address the issue.
Ongoing effect
Certain aspects of Brady Bill were ruled unconstitutional in court (Printz v. United States), and the government now uses an instant check system instead of waiting five days, but on the contrary it persists and is still valid today. Clinton claims that the program has stopped thousands of criminals from buying weapons. Critics point out that in 1999, over 23,000 cases have been referred for prosecution by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the BATF only arrested 56 people. Prohibition of attacking weapons has a sunset clause and ended on 13 September 2004.
Executive Command
During his tenure, President Clinton also used the power of executive orders to enforce weapons control policies. On April 6, 1998, Clinton signed an order that permanently prohibited the import of more than 50 "semi-automatic" assault rifles. In 1999, White House chief policy officer Bruce D. Reed said, "The country is tired of waiting for Congress to respond to the tragedy in Littleton.The government will do everything in its power to make progress in weapons." Many have accused Clinton of too often exerting executive powers on weapon control issues.
Settlement with Smith & amp; Wesson
In 2000 the Clinton administration reached an agreement with Smith & amp; Wesson, to end federal and state lawsuits, in exchange for marketing and design changes by the company. Some Smith & amp; Wesson agreed was; to sell weapons with keys, to build locks in weapons within two years, apply smart weapon technology, and take his ballistic weapon fingerprints. Clinton called the deal a "great victory for American families." The NRA and other weapons rights groups strongly condemn the settlement of Smith & amp; Wesson's action was "sold out", with the NRA calling the agreement "the same as racketeering the back door." Smith & Wesson's ownership changed in 2001 and the agreement failed after George W. Bush came to the office and supported legal protection for manufacturing weapons However, Smith & Wesson continue to sell weapons with internal keys.
See also
- Bill Clinton
- The political gun in the United States
- The Clinton Administration
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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