Office of the Vice President

WASHINGTON, DC 20510-0011
OFFICIAL BUSINESS

August 29, 2000

Mr. John Johannessen
President, Stop Our Shootings
P.O. Box 16206
Irvine, CA 92323-6206

Dear Mr. Johannessen:

Thank you for sending the informative materials about your organization. I appreciate hearing about your personal experience with this tragic issue and am especially pleased to learn of your daughter Shanelle's recovery. I am always inspired by stories of personal triumph like this.

Since the Gun-Free Schools Act became law in 1994 and the President issued a directed "zero tolerance" for accessible firearms to children, more than 6,000 children have been expelled for bringing weapons to schools. The Act also made it a federal offense for an adult to transfer a handgun to a juvenile or for a.juvenile to knowingly possess a handgun or ammunition.

However, there must be an increased effort to curb the number of devastating instances of children being harmed by gun-related violence, including accidents. Please be assured that I will continue to work to keep guns out of our schools and out of the hands of juveniles when they are not supervised by an adult.

Again, thank you for contacting my office with your experiences and information. Keep up the good work and please accept my best wishes for the future.

Sincerely,
Al Gore

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