Ill STAT. 2778 PROCLAMATION 6935—OCT. 10, 1996 ued to champion the cause of hberty and to reach out without reservation or hesitation to our neighbors and those in need around the world. The same heritage that enabled our ancestors to brave wars and uncharted frontiers—^because they were convinced that they were working to create a better world—also emboldens us today in our cooperative effort to integrate the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Western community of nations. Our immigrant ancestors survived unthinkable hardships to achieve economic, religious, and political freedom. Their dreams were big, but so was their willingness to work for them. The link they forged across the oceans is sustained today by a common commitment to freedom and the rule of law—ideals that have strong roots in the civic and legal traditions of Nordic countries dating back at least to medieval times. In honor of Leif Erikson—son of Iceland, grandson of Norway—the Congress, by joint resolution approved on September 2, 1964 (Public Law 88-566), has authorized and requested the President to designate October 9 of each year as "Leif Erikson Day." NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 9, 1996, as Leif Erikson Day. I encourage the people of the United States to observe this occasion with appropriate ceremonies and activities commemorating our rich Nordic-American heritage. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-first. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 6935 of October 10, 1996 National Day of Concern About Young People and Gun Violence, 1996 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Few losses are more difficult to face than the death of a young person. Such deaths are even more appalling when they result from violence by another youth. It is a tragedy of modern American life that thousands of our young people each year suffer deadly violence initiated by their peers. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) data show that in the decade between 1984 and 1993 the nmnber of homicide arrests of juveniles skyrocketed by 168 percent. Even more disturbing, the fastest increase in violent crime arrests of juveniles occurred among children 10 to 12 years old. Demographic experts predicted that, if those trends continued, juvenile violent crime arrests would double by the year 2010. Now, new FBI data show reason for cautious optimism. For the first time in 7 years, the juvenile crime arrest rate decreased—by 2.9 percent in 1995. In addition, juvenile arrests for murder declined by 15.2 percent in 1995—the largest 1-year decrease in more than 10 years.
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