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1993-03-05
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03/03/1993 WASHINGTON (AP) -- A recent defeat in Virginia and a rebuke
from President Clinton suggests that the gun lobby, while still a
powerful force, may be facing some of its toughest fights in years.
Clinton on Monday criticized the National Rifle Association, the
nation's premier gun advocacy group, for opposing certain gun controls.
His support gives gun control proponents a major ally in their fight for
a national waiting period for handgun purchases.
Gun control backers predict passage in Congress of the so-called
Brady Bill that would establish the handgun waiting period. The measure
had majority backing in both the House and Senate last year but was
opposed by President Bush. It died after being attached to a broader
crime bill.
In the states, however, the picture is less clear. During the past
week, Virginia adopted new handgun restrictions. But one chamber of the
New Jersey legislature voted to repeal a ban on assault rifles.
Also, as the tense standoff in Waco, Texas, unfolded between
authorities and an armed religious cult, Texas Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock said
his state, long opposed to gun control, should consider banning
"military-type assault weapons."
But in Colorado, the NRA won a court case Friday challenging Denver's
ban on semiautomatics.
"There's a lot of activity out there in the states," NRA spokesman
Jim Baker said.
The vote in the Virginia General Assembly to limit handgun purchases
to one a month was a setback for the NRA.
But the NRA fared much better in New Jersey, where the Assembly voted
to override Gov. Jim Florio's veto of legislation to reverse a 1990 ban
on the sale, possession and manufacture of semiautomatic weapons.
"It's a landmark message that gun control schemes are useless and out
of step with real anti-crime measures," said George McNeill of the NRA
Institute for Legislative Action.
An override vote is pending in the New Jersey Senate, and Clinton's
remarks Monday appeared aimed at rallying support for Florio.
"I don't believe that everybody in America needs to be able to buy a
semiautomatic or an automatic weapon built only for the purpose of
killing people," the president said. Clinton called it an "error" for
the NRA to oppose restrictions on assault weapons.
There are heated debates in several other states as well. In
Missouri, for example, the NRA supports a measure that would make it
legal to carry a concealed firearm with a permit. The state House passed
a version last year but it died in the Senate. An amended version is
pending in the Senate.
The NRA and its biggest rival, Handgun Control Inc., also are
fighting over concealed weapons measures in Texas, Arkansas and Wyoming.
Another hot issue is whether adult owners should be punished if
children gain access to their weapons.