US Presidency
1996

I also want to say, just before I go forward, again I want to thank Senators Kyl and Feinstein and the others who have approached this in a totally bipartisan manner. This is a cause for all Americans. When people are victimized, the criminal almost never asks before you're robbed or beaten or raped or murdered: Are you a Republican or a Democrat? This is a matter of national security just as much as the national security issues beyond our borders on which we try to achieve a bipartisan consensus. And I applaud the nonpolitical and patriotic way in which this manner has been approached in the Congress, just like it's approached every day in the country, and we ought to do our best to keep it that way. We know that there can be, with any good effort, unforeseen consequences. We think we know what they would likely be, and we believe we know how to guard against them. We certainly don't want to make it harder for prosecutors to convict violent criminals.