Since its enactment, the Brady Law has kept over 100,000 fugitives, felons, and stalkers from buying a handgun. Unfortunately, current law does not prevent a juvenile convicted of a violent crime as a juvenile from legally purchasing a handgun once the juvenile turns 18 years-old. The President's Strategy would close this loophole so that convicted violent youth would never be allowed to buy a handgun. While many firearms deaths result from violent crime, gun accidents regularly claim the lives of America's youth. Firearms have also become the primary method by which young people commit suicide.
Many young people have to look no further than their own home to get access to a gun.
More must be done to prevent the tragic and needless deaths of our children by firearms. The President's Strategy addresses this problem by requiring gun dealers to sell a locking device with every handgun. In addition, President Clinton believes all Americans must accept responsibility for teaching our young people that drugs are illegal, wrong, and could kill them. We must be equally tough on young people who drive under the influence of drugs and endanger themselves and others while on the road. To further deter teen drug use and make our roads safer, President Clinton directed National Drug Control Policy Director Barry McCaffrey and Transportation Secretary Frederico Pena to develop a strategy to address the problem of young people driving under the influence of illegal drugs.