Bill Clinton: “Well, actually we're looking at that. We're looking at what, if anything, we can do on a national basis to try to have a…”

“Well, actually we're looking at that. We're looking at what, if anything, we can do on a national basis to try to have a more effective handgun purchasing program or gathering program. I'm not so concerned that maybe some people buy them on the black market and make a little profit on them if the guns are actually destroyed and taken out of commission, and if then we have more control over the circumstances under which people buy the next gun. But you're talking about tens of millions of guns. We're talking about major numbers of guns. And it seems to me if we're going to do this effectively--and I think we ought to look at it--you have to know what happens to the guns when the government takes possession of them, whether it's a city or a State or the Federal Government, what happens to them then. I think there's a lot of merit in doing this, but it seems to me you have to melt down the guns, you've got to destroy the weapons in order for it to be worth the effort so you reduce the overall supply of black market guns. Teen Violence [A participant stated her view that some teens were resorting to violence as a status symbol.]”