BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We begin now with the latest effort by the president to target gun violence in the U.S. Today, Bill Clinton will outline a proposal to hire more federal agents and expand the tracking of guns used to commit crimes. More now from CNN's Carl Rochelle with us live from a chilly White House lawn, this morning. Hey, Carl.</s>CARL ROCHELLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. And you're right, it is chilly here on the White House lawn. Mr. Clinton is heading north to Boston to lay out his proposals for stepping up gun enforcement, and government sources say that he will announce a 25-percent increase in the -- in the prosecution of federal gun laws in the last year and then ask for even tougher steps. He will ask for $280 million in fiscal year 2001 funds and use that money to pay for 500 new Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms agents and about 1,000 prosecutors at the federal, state and local levels. The funds would also be directed to create the first nationally-integrated ballistics testing system and expand crime gun tracing to catch more criminals. The White House also wants to fund local media campaigns to discourage gun violence and expand development of smart gun technologies that limit the use of firearms to owners. Mr. Clinton will head out of hear in a couple of hours to Boston, where he will be joined by Attorney General Janet Reno to lay out the proposal. Officials say they are trying to replicate a couple of programs in Boston, one, Operation Cease Fire, and the other: The Boston Gun Project. Now, these are projects that put federal, state and local officials together to try to trace crimes and identify and arrest illegal gun traffickers. That's what they're trying to do with this proposal the president will lay out in Boston a little later today. I'm Carl Rochelle, CNN, reporting live from the White House.
President Clinton to Announce $280-Million Proposal Targeting Gun Violence