Joe Biden: “As further evidence that we are not just arriving at this as a means of a compromise, it was never our intention to…”

“As further evidence that we are not just arriving at this as a means of a compromise, it was never our intention to include smokeless powder. I would read from, as further evidence of that although we did not make it absolutely clear, I would read page 2 of the amendment, subsection (e), the bottom, second-to-the-last-line of the page. Tracer elements to be added to explosive materials under provisions of this subsection shall be of such character and in such quantity as the Secretary may authorize or require, and such as will not substantially impair the quality of the explosive material for their intended lawful use, adversely affect the safety of the explosives, or have substantially adverse effects on the environment. So we thought that we were dealing with this red herring by having the section requiring that the decision would have to be made that the tracer elements, the taggants, would not adversely affect the safety of the explosives. Since OTA indicated that there was a possibility of that with regard to smokeless powder, we did not intend that to be covered.”