WASHINGTON — For the fourth time in four weeks, House Republicans on Monday rewrote gun provisions in proposed legislation designed to combat the spate of shootings in America's schools.

GOP leaders said the latest change, which separates gun control measures from underlying legislation cracking down on juvenile crime, was made so the House could more easily consider controversial proposals to require all buyers of weapons at gun shows to undergo background checks.

But irate Democrats, who learned of the change Monday afternoon, complained that it was the latest effort by the House leadership to kill the gun provisions while passing the juvenile crime bill. They said this maneuver will allow pro-gun lawmakers to argue they took action to address the school violence.

The latest version also failed to add provisions President Clinton wanted requiring child-proof trigger locks on all guns sold, and background checks at all major gun shows. The GOP measure allows guns to be sold without trigger locks if they are disabled by removing the firing pin or some other similar method. The Republican gun bill would require background checks only at gun shows where more than 50 guns were offered for sale AND more than 10 vendors present. Flea markets and small shows would remain exempt from background checks.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill., said the changes were made to make it easier for the House to vote on the various gun issues separately from what he termed "cultural parts" of his committee's legislation.

What the GOP calls cultural portions include new mandatory prison sentences for violent juveniles, and measures banning youths under 18 from purchasing ultra-violent or sexual computer games and videos.

"There's more to this than passing new gun laws," Hyde said, blaming a decline in cultural values for the youth violence. "What happened in Colorado and Georgia will not be remedied by passing new federal gun laws."

Hyde said debate over guns on the House floor already is shaping up to be acrimonious and prolonged, and he believes that separating the issues will quell some of the opposition. "This is going to be drenched in politics," he said.

Democrats were quick to fire off complaints.

"This is a kamikaze legislative process," said Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, which drafted the juvenile justice bill containing the gun control provisions. "This is a ruse to kill the good works that other body, the Senate, has done."

Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., warned Republicans that polls show overwhelming support among voters for new laws requiring child-proof locks be sold with guns, and background checks on buyers at gun shows. "Heaven help anyone who stands between the passage of gun lock legislation and the people of America," she said.

House Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif., said it was his ideas to have the House consider gun provisions separately from the juvenile justice measures.

Dreier said that lawmakers have filed 175 amendments to the package, and the House needed to streamline the process so it can handle the legislation expeditiously and have a "full and focused debate."

In the wake of the school shootings, Dreier said that not enough attention has been paid to children who aren't causing trouble.

"We must be careful not to lose perspective on today's school children," he said. "Go to any school library, flip through the pages of any high school yearbook, and you will find the true measure of America's young adults."

The acrimony over the GOP maneuver is likely to continue as the House moves toward debate on gun control.

Drier said he hopes the measure will be ready for floor debate Wednesday. Democrats are circulating alternative proposals, which would require record-keeping of purchasers at gun shows, and give the government additional time to check the criminal backgrounds of prospective gun buyers.

Rep. Tony Hall, D-Ohio, said the gun fight involves "the most important piece of legislation we will pass this year."

But Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said that lost in the debate is the fact that youth crime is largely a local issue, and should not be federalized.

"We ought to let local people, local schools, and local law enforcement deal with it," Sessions said.

Rep. Joe Moakley, D-Mass., said Republicans had caved in to demands from the National Rifle Association to scuttle the bill. "Regardless of what the NRA says, the safety of our school yards is in question," he said. "Everybody is sick and tired of hearing about kids and guns in schools."

June 15, 1999 | Print this page