WASHINGTON — Propelled by a shocking outbreak of school violence, the Senate passed legislation Thursday night to require the sale of safety devices with handguns and expand a system of background checks for firearms purchasers.

The vote was 73-25 and came a few hours after Vice President Al Gore eagerly broke a 50-50 tie in favor of an amendment to require background checks for all firearms transactions at gun shows and pawn shops.

Sen. Wayne Allard of Colorado voted for the final bill, while Ben Nighthorse Campbell voted against it. Both Republican senators voted against the background check amendment.

Passage sent the measure to the House, where Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., has signaled support for fresh restrictions on guns. Republican and Democratic leaders were discussing plans to bring the issue to the House floor as soon as mid-June.

"What we have seen today is for the first time in a major kind of gun control issue, rejection of the National Rifle Association and a vote for common sense," Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., said as the bill neared final passage.

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said Democrats "think gun control is a good political issue and that will solve everything. I say we got all these laws on the books that are already there" that should be more strongly enforced.

A triumph by gun control advocates in the Republican-controlled Senate was improbable at best until the shootings in a Colorado high school a month ago caused a marked shift in public opinion. A shooting at an Atlanta-area high school earlier in the day gave fresh impetus to the measure.

The legislation requires background checks for all sales at gun shows. It also would close what gun control advocates said was a loophole that allows anyone to pawn a gun and reclaim it without undergoing a check.

"Secure gun storage or safety devices" would have to be sold with handguns. But the measure also extends liability protections for a gun owner who uses a safety lock and whose gun is stolen and used in a crime.

In addition, the measure continues current gun law that majority Republicans had succeeded in changing briefly earlier in the day. Under the measure as passed, for example, background checks could still take up to three days instead of the 24-hour ceiling that Republicans wanted on them.

Importing high-capacity ammunition clips would be banned, and any juvenile convicted of a felony would be denied the right to purchase a gun for life.

The measure calls for $5 billion over five years to help crack down on juvenile crime. It provides money for prosecutors, and makes it easier to try some juveniles as adults. In addition, it mandates a study of the entertainment industry to gauge the impact of its violent products on the young.

But Democrats struggled successfully to turn the events of Colorado into a rallying cry for fresh gun controls.

The votes came one month to the day after the Colorado high school shootings in which two students are alleged to have killed 12 fellow students, a teacher and themselves.

And only hours before the roll was called in the Senate, there was new gunfire at a high school east of Atlanta. Six students were injured by another student, who later surrendered.

Georgia Democrat Max Cleland, who had voted against similar gun controls last week, lined up in favor this time. He said he had made up his mind to do so Wednesday night, after Democrats had agreed to changes. But he added the day's home state bloodshed "really confirmed for me that I was on the right track."

By themselves, the measures adopted were relatively minor in scope. Democrats conceded they had decided not to force votes on more sweeping proposals likely to lose, including one to limit an individual's purchases to one gun per month.

But in political terms, the developments were striking, with Republicans backpedaling consistently on an issue that has suddenly taken on new importance after the Littleton shootings.

The NRA was defiant in defeat. "It's more made-for-television-lawmaking," the organization said. "Now they want more gun laws they won't enforce," it said of the administration.

But it was Gore's turn in the spotlight, and after enduring a rocky period in his presidential campaign, he was clearly pleased to be there. Twice, after all 100 senators had cast their votes, he prodded the Senate clerk to announce the tie. That done, he cast his vote in favor of gun controls that enjoy overwhelming popularity in the polls.

Referring to the morning's shootings in Georgia, he said later, "We're reminded again that until we get more controls in a sensible way on the easy availability of guns in our society to children, to criminals, to those who are mentally disturbed, then these tragedies will continue."

On the vote, 44 Democrats and six Republicans were in favor. There were 49 Republicans and one Democrat, Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, opposed.

The Republicans who cast their votes in favor were John Chafee of Rhode Island, Peter Fitzgerald of Illinois, Mike DeWine and George Voinovich of Ohio, Dick Lugar of Indiana and John Warner of Virginia.

A critical vote was supplied by Georgia's Cleland, who noted that Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., the principal author, had made several changes.

The vote on Lautenberg's amendments marked a stinging defeat for the GOP leadership, which has presided over several days of Republican disarray on the issue.

Last week, Republicans muscled through an amendment that left some background checks voluntary at gun shows. Some GOP lawmakers changed their minds overnight, and forced Republicans to bring the issue back to the floor for a reversal. But Clinton claimed the revised proposal was "riddled with high-caliber loopholes," and Democrats pressed for a third vote on the subject.

On Tuesday, the GOP leadership crafted an amendment designed to close the loopholes at pawnshops and gun shows yet satisfy the numerous Republicans not sympathetic to gun control. Their aim was to pass their own proposal and hold enough wavering Republicans in line to defeat the stronger Democratic alternative.

But that strategy failed.

While the GOP amendment passed, it was wiped out moments later on the strength of Gore's tie-breaker.

Voting for final passage were 42 Democrats and 31 Republicans. In opposition were 23 Republicans and two Democrats.

May 21, 1999 | Print this page