APRIL 20, 1999 - LITTLETON, COLO.
New gun laws on table By Sandra Sobieraj
WASHINGTON — One week after the Littleton shootings, President Clinton will propose legislation Tuesday that would require background checks on sales of explosives and hold parents liable when their children commit crimes with guns.
Clinton is counting on outrage over the shootings to help push the bill through Congress. "The prospects are good," White House press secretary Joe Lockhart said Monday. "Unfortunately, oftentimes it takes tragic events to catalyze work here in Washington."
The president planned a White House ceremony to announce his new omnibus anticrime package. It will contain the restriction on explosives sales as well as measures that died in the last Congress, according to sources familiar with the proposals, speaking only on condition of anonymity.
White House officials were still working on the explosives provision, which would aim to treat their sale the same way gun sales are treated under the Brady law, congressional sources said. It was unclear how "explosives" would be defined.
In Littleton, the killers had homemade hand grenades and pipe bombs as well as guns. In Oklahoma City, two tons of explosive fertilizer were used to blow up the federal building.
Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., applauded Clinton's initiative at cracking down on explosives but wondered if it was a problem too loosely defined to tackle.
"If you're talking about propane gas tanks and agricultural chemicals, I'm anxious to see how they define the component parts of this," Durbin said.
Clinton is proposing:
Mandatory child-safety locks on all guns sold.
All gun-show sales be subject to background checks on buyers.
A lifetime ban on gun ownership for people who commit violent crimes as juveniles.
A three-day waiting period for all handgun purchases, with an extra two days if law officers require them.
Criminal liability and a $10,000 fine for adults, including parents, who allow children access to guns.
The adult could be held liable whenever a juvenile crime is committed and the adult "knowingly or recklessly allowed it to occur," said White House spokesman Barry Toiv.
Clinton raised this liability issue long before the Colorado shootings and it is not now meant to suggest that those parents should be blamed, Toiv said.
Lockhart, announcing the general proposal though not the details on Monday, criticized the National Rifle Association for fighting Clinton on gun control.
NRA spokesman Jim Manown replied: "It's inappropriate for us to engage in a political debate at this moment."
Durbin championed a more limited liability than Clinton is proposing. The limited version — for situations where a gun owner shows negligence by not safely storing firearms — gained just 31 votes last year.
This year, Durbin said, "with presidential leadership and public support, I think this Littleton, Colo., tragedy can galvanize the majority we need."
April 27, 1999
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Associated Press
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BACKGROUND
Jefferson County sheriff's report Full index of the shooting News from the five days following the shootings Reconstruction of the shooting TimelineLocation the schoolFloorplanWeapons used
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AUDIO
'Friend of Mine' Listen to the Columbine Memorial song sung by Columbine students Jonathan and Stephen Cohen.
911 tapes
Interview with Arun Ghandi |
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PHOTOS
A Daily Camera photo essay detailed the tragedy of April 20 and the recovery and remembrance in the following weeks: photo essay
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INTERACT
With the recent rise in school violence, do you feel schools are still safe? vote here
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THE INVESTIGATION
Man pleads innocent to helping Columbine killers get weapons Relatives angry about handling of case Parents of Columbine killer seek to limit evidence access Investigators meet with Harris' parents CHS investigators focus on computers FBI investigator's son linked to case Killer reportedly took Luvox antidepressant Detectives question shooter's girlfriend Bombs found in cafeteria Portraits of the killers Killer's diary describes plot of hate |
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SCHOOL VIOLENCE
Teenager threatens classmates Students accused of plotting shooting Violence in Georgia School violence stuns nation Teen wounds six fellow students Teens charged in alleged school attack plot Michigan teenagers charged in plot Other school shootings 1927 school bombing killed nearly 40 children Suspensions, arrests across country La. school site of another shooting Facts: Death in schools 'Blood in the School Yard', from the Cincinnati Post full series |
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REACTION
Time: Duo sought immortality Aftershocks continue to hit Columbine Columbine lawsuits multiply High schools' 'cult of the athlete' under scrutiny
Parents of Columbine shooters sued Columbine spurs interest in home schools Columbine healing fund raises $2.3 million CU frat shows support for Columbine 'Healing bear' arrives to help in Littleton Doctors: Guilt a normal reaction for survivors Media the message? Broomfield couple campaigns to 'Erase the Hate' What now? |
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GUNS AND LAW
Inaction on gun control could prompt ballot issues Democrats say they'll carry gun laws favored by Owens Owens says tougher laws wouldn't have prevented tragedy State senator plans to revive bill on concealed-handguns Despite pressure, more gun control measures unlikely Columbine dad lobbies Washington Senate passes more gun controls Columbine killers also wounded the NRA Senate rejects any new restrictions on gun-show sales
Gun control strife Leaders scrap gun bills Guns and legislatures |
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HOW TO HELP
A drive has been established to raise money for a memorial for the victims of the Columbine High School tragedy. Contributions may be mailed to the Columbine Memorial Fund, c/o The Jefferson Foundation, 809 Quail St., Building 1, Lakewood, CO 80215.
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