Don Morgan
New member
Sunday June 20 4:35 PM ET
Lawmakers Eye Gun Control As Election Issue
Gun Control Debate
By Andrew Clark
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two days after the House of Representatives failed to pass a controversial gun control bill, lawmakers continued to snipe at each other Sunday over what some expect to be a hot electoral issue.
``I think this is going to be a very powerful issue,'' Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said on CBS's ``Face the Nation'' television program.
``The Republicans are going to be scrambling. They're going to have a lot of explaining to do next year at this time.''
The House voted 147-280 to defeat the bill after it was altered to require only 24 hours for background checks on people who buy guns at gun shows. A bill narrowly approved by the Senate in May called for a three-day waiting period.
Liberals and moderates who regarded the 24-hour period as too short voted against the bill, as did conservatives from the West and South who do not want new gun laws.
President Clinton again Sunday urged Congress to persevere and close the gun show ``loophole.''
``I think that would make America a less violent place,'' he said in a CNN interview from Cologne, Germany. ``I think there would be less crime with guns if that happened.'' House Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas said Democrats were at fault for killing the bill over the background checks when it had still contained most of the other curbs sought by the administration and Democratic leadership.
``The only thing they offered in the debate last week was how much bigger they can build the government,'' DeLay said on ABC's ``This Week'' program. ``They didn't want to address the root causes of what's going on in our culture.''
Republican leaders were able to split the broader juvenile justice bill in the House. While the gun bill failed, they did pass youth crime legislation addressing social conservatives' priorities on culture, values and the Ten Commandments.
The House and Senate must still meld their juvenile justice bills into one single measure. With the House bill silent on guns, it appears unlikely all the Senate language will survive, although Clinton and Democrats will push for that outcome.
``There is a glimmer of hope that we can put it back in conference,'' Daschle said, referring to the gun show curbs.
The drive to shorten the period for background checks was led by Michigan Democrat John Dingell, who worked closely with DeLay while Clinton and other top Democrats were denouncing Republicans as being pawns of the National Rifle Association.
``Like most members of Congress, I did what I thought was right and I'm quite pleased with the consequences of it,'' Dingell said on ``Fox News Sunday.''
Given the power of the NRA, gun votes are risky for many members of Congress. The gun lobby helped Republicans seize control of Congress in 1994, after a Democratic-led Congress passed the Brady gun control law and an assault weapons ban.
``The truth is the gun lobby is very strong in many districts,'' House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri said on ``This Week.''
But he said the issue could be an effective political platform for Democrats.
``This is an important issue and it can be run on and it can be won in any district in this country,'' he said.
DeLay said Democrats were using the gun debate to duck the broader social and cultural problems underlying youth violence. The House and Senate juvenile justice bills were propelled by public outrage after the recent high school shootings in Littleton, Colo., by two armed, suicidal teens.
``It is a culture that raises children that kill children,'' DeLay said. ``And it's a culture that we need to change and that's what we tried to do.''
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Society is safer when the criminal does not know who is armed
Lawmakers Eye Gun Control As Election Issue
Gun Control Debate
By Andrew Clark
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two days after the House of Representatives failed to pass a controversial gun control bill, lawmakers continued to snipe at each other Sunday over what some expect to be a hot electoral issue.
``I think this is going to be a very powerful issue,'' Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said on CBS's ``Face the Nation'' television program.
``The Republicans are going to be scrambling. They're going to have a lot of explaining to do next year at this time.''
The House voted 147-280 to defeat the bill after it was altered to require only 24 hours for background checks on people who buy guns at gun shows. A bill narrowly approved by the Senate in May called for a three-day waiting period.
Liberals and moderates who regarded the 24-hour period as too short voted against the bill, as did conservatives from the West and South who do not want new gun laws.
President Clinton again Sunday urged Congress to persevere and close the gun show ``loophole.''
``I think that would make America a less violent place,'' he said in a CNN interview from Cologne, Germany. ``I think there would be less crime with guns if that happened.'' House Majority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas said Democrats were at fault for killing the bill over the background checks when it had still contained most of the other curbs sought by the administration and Democratic leadership.
``The only thing they offered in the debate last week was how much bigger they can build the government,'' DeLay said on ABC's ``This Week'' program. ``They didn't want to address the root causes of what's going on in our culture.''
Republican leaders were able to split the broader juvenile justice bill in the House. While the gun bill failed, they did pass youth crime legislation addressing social conservatives' priorities on culture, values and the Ten Commandments.
The House and Senate must still meld their juvenile justice bills into one single measure. With the House bill silent on guns, it appears unlikely all the Senate language will survive, although Clinton and Democrats will push for that outcome.
``There is a glimmer of hope that we can put it back in conference,'' Daschle said, referring to the gun show curbs.
The drive to shorten the period for background checks was led by Michigan Democrat John Dingell, who worked closely with DeLay while Clinton and other top Democrats were denouncing Republicans as being pawns of the National Rifle Association.
``Like most members of Congress, I did what I thought was right and I'm quite pleased with the consequences of it,'' Dingell said on ``Fox News Sunday.''
Given the power of the NRA, gun votes are risky for many members of Congress. The gun lobby helped Republicans seize control of Congress in 1994, after a Democratic-led Congress passed the Brady gun control law and an assault weapons ban.
``The truth is the gun lobby is very strong in many districts,'' House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt of Missouri said on ``This Week.''
But he said the issue could be an effective political platform for Democrats.
``This is an important issue and it can be run on and it can be won in any district in this country,'' he said.
DeLay said Democrats were using the gun debate to duck the broader social and cultural problems underlying youth violence. The House and Senate juvenile justice bills were propelled by public outrage after the recent high school shootings in Littleton, Colo., by two armed, suicidal teens.
``It is a culture that raises children that kill children,'' DeLay said. ``And it's a culture that we need to change and that's what we tried to do.''
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Society is safer when the criminal does not know who is armed