You have before you crime legislation which also establishes a police corps to encourage young people to get an education, and pay it off by serving as police officers, which encourages retiring military personnel to move into police forces—­and enormous resources for our country, one which has a safe schools provisions which will give our young people the chance to walk to school in safety and to be in school in safety instead of dodging bullets.  These are important things.

The third thing we have to do is to build on the Brady Bill—­the Brady Law to take further steps——­to take further steps to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

Now, I want to say something about this issue.  Hunters must always be free to hunt, law abiding adults should always be free to own guns and protect their homes.  I respect that part of our culture.  I grew up in it.  But I want to ask the sportsmen and others who lawfully own guns to join us in this campaign to reduce gun violence.  I say to you, I know you didn’t create this problem, but we need your help to solve it.  There is no sporting purpose on earth that should stop the United States Congress from banishing assault weapons that outgun police and cut down children.

Fourth, we must remember that drugs are a factor in an enormous percentage of crimes.  Recent studies indicate, sadly, that drug use is on the rise again among our young people.  The Crime Bill contains—­all the crime bills contain—­more money for drug treatment, for criminal addicts, and boot camps for youthful offenders that include incentives to get off drugs and to stay off drugs.  Our administration’s budget, with all its cuts, contains a large increase in funding for drug treatment and drug education.  You must pass them both.  We need then desperately.

My fellow Americans, the problem of violence is an un-American problem.  It has no partisan or philosophical element.  Therefore, I urge you find ways as quickly as possible to set aside partisan differences and pass a strong, smart, tough crime bill.

But further, I urge you to consider this:  As you demand tougher penalties for those who choose violence, let us also remember how we came to this sad point.  In our toughest neighborhoods, on our meanest streets, in our poorest rural areas, we have seen a stunning and simultaneous breakdown of community, family, and work, the heart and soul of civilized society.  This has created a vast vacuum which has been filled by violence and drugs and gangs.  So I ask you to remember that even as we say no to crime, we must give people, especially our young people something to say yes to.  Many of our initiatives, from job training to welfare reform to health care to national service will help to rebuild distressed communities, to strengthen families, to provide work, but more needs to be done.  That’s what our community empowerment agenda is all about—­challenging businesses to provide more investment through empowerment zones, ensuring banks will make loans in the same communities their deposits come from, passing legislation to unleash the power of capital through community development banks to create jobs, opportunity, and hope where they’re needed most.