Gun Control Act

House Speaker Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill Jr. (D-Mass.) postponed debate until April 9 on rival measures to change the 1968 Gun Control Act. Debate was to have started Thursday and continued today, to be immediately followed by final votes. Chris Matthews, O'Neill's press spokesman, said the decision was made because "there was too much of a load on the calendar this week."

Regarding the killings in Maryland ("Sniper Critically Injures Teenage Boy," Oct. 8): Thanks to National Rifle Assn. lobbying, law enforcement officials are forbidden to use technology that could let them trace bullets used in shootings to the people who bought the guns--even though such technology exists. Just as fingerprints and DNA can be used to identify people who commit crimes, unique markings on bullets and shell casings can be used to trace every bullet recovered from a shooting to the gun that was used.

President Reagan signed legislation easing federal firearm controls and allowing gun dealers to sell rifles and shotguns to buyers anywhere in the country. The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate earlier this month after an intense campaign that pitted the gun lobby against police and handgun control organizations. The National Rifle Assn. and allied groups had been trying to weaken the 1968 federal Gun Control Act ever since it was passed in the wake of the murders of Dr.

Re "Clinton Calls Gun Control Law a Success," June 22: Why would the Clinton administration's Justice Department simply reject handgun applications to felons rather than arresting the felon on the spot? It is a federal felony for a convicted felon to attempt to purchase a handgun. The U.S. Criminal Code, Title 18, Section 924 (the penalty section of the federal Gun Control Act) allows for a 10-year prison sentence per count. Trying to buy ammunition is another 10 years. Yet the Justice Department's estimates show that it has had over 140,000 of these people in its grasp--and just let them go?

Re "Clinton Calls Gun Control Law a Success," June 22: Why would the Clinton administration's Justice Department simply reject handgun applications to felons rather than arresting the felon on the spot? It is a federal felony for a convicted felon to attempt to purchase a handgun. The U.S. Criminal Code, Title 18, Section 924 (the penalty section of the federal Gun Control Act) allows for a 10-year prison sentence per count. Trying to buy ammunition is another 10 years. Yet the Justice Department's estimates show that it has had over 140,000 of these people in its grasp--and just let them go?

A bill to weaken the nation's gun control law was passed by the House on a vote of 292 for and 130 against. This was a victory for the National Rifle Assn. and a defeat for police groups such as the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police.

Re "L.A. Bans Manufacture and Sale of Cheap Handguns," Sept. 5: As an observation, it seems to me that one person's Saturday night special is another person's affordable protection. A more succinct way of putting it is, middle-income folks in Woodland Hills or Simi Valley will still be able to buy expensive guns to protect themselves and their homes, but low-income families in the inner city won't. Sounds OK to me. But then I live in Simi Valley. FRED ROMERO Simi Valley The Times' Sept.

Regarding the killings in Maryland ("Sniper Critically Injures Teenage Boy," Oct. 8): Thanks to National Rifle Assn. lobbying, law enforcement officials are forbidden to use technology that could let them trace bullets used in shootings to the people who bought the guns--even though such technology exists. Just as fingerprints and DNA can be used to identify people who commit crimes, unique markings on bullets and shell casings can be used to trace every bullet recovered from a shooting to the gun that was used.

For a group that talks loudly about law and order, Congress seems not to hear very well when police officers call for help in getting handguns off the streets. Many police chiefs and police-union members oppose a bill that would seriously weaken the meager gun controls now on the books. The House has a chance to pay attention to them today, and at least hold the line on handguns. The House has two measures before it. One, sponsored by Sen. James A. McClure (R-Ida.) and Rep. Harold L.

Orange County resident Mary Leigh Blek, whose son was murdered with a handgun in New York three years ago, will speak in Washington today at a news conference to support legislation targeting handguns. The American Handgun Standards Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), would impose quality and safety standards for low-cost handguns--sometimes called "junk guns"--made in the United States.

Orange County resident Mary Leigh Blek, whose son was murdered with a handgun in New York three years ago, will speak in Washington today at a news conference to support legislation targeting handguns. The American Handgun Standards Act, co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), would impose quality and safety standards for low-cost handguns--sometimes called "junk guns"--made in the United States.

Re "L.A. Bans Manufacture and Sale of Cheap Handguns," Sept. 5: As an observation, it seems to me that one person's Saturday night special is another person's affordable protection. A more succinct way of putting it is, middle-income folks in Woodland Hills or Simi Valley will still be able to buy expensive guns to protect themselves and their homes, but low-income families in the inner city won't. Sounds OK to me. But then I live in Simi Valley. FRED ROMERO Simi Valley The Times' Sept.

What's your instinct when you hear that a burglar with a gun broke into your neighbor's house? Do you decide it's time to outlaw guns in this country, or do you go out and buy one? Some people would react by sending a check to Sarah Brady in support of the Brady bill, which requires gun-store owners to wait for police background checks before they can sell customers handguns. Others see guns as essential protection against dangers ranging from burglars to mob violence.

Untested as governor on politically explosive firearms issues, Pete Wilson is about to take a stand in the national debate over gun controls by deciding the fate of a stack of bills sent to him by the Legislature. When Wilson moved from the U.S. Senate to the governor's office nine months ago, he arrived with a mixed record on guns, but leaning toward "reasonable controls." Now, the moderate Republican governor must translate his beliefs into action on a range of gun bills.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Louis W. Sullivan has already made himself conspicuous in the Bush Administration by crusading against smoking and alcoholism. Now he is pondering an even more controversial step: drawing a bead on the nation's gun lobby. That would pit him against one of the most powerful special interests in the capital, one with especially close ties to the Administration. The President, after all, is a member of the National Rifle Assn.

There's an old adage in sports--and politics: "If a fight starts, watch the crowd, because the crowd plays the decisive role." How big and emotional the crowd is, where support or opposition shifts along the sidelines, help determine who wins. Today the fight is over gun control and the politicians look to the crowd--the people who elected them to office and who keep them there--for the signal to fight or run.

In a victory for the gun lobby, the House voted today to ease the nation's gun control law for the first time since 1968, but kept in place a controversial ban on interstate sale of handguns. After a morning of tumultuous debate, lawmakers voted 292 to 130 to approve legislation backed by the powerful National Rifle Assn. to allow interstate sale and transportation of rifles and shotguns, and ease reporting requirements on the nation's 250,000 gun dealers. "Merits were not considered," Rep.

There's an old adage in sports--and politics: "If a fight starts, watch the crowd, because the crowd plays the decisive role." How big and emotional the crowd is, where support or opposition shifts along the sidelines, help determine who wins. Today the fight is over gun control and the politicians look to the crowd--the people who elected them to office and who keep them there--for the signal to fight or run.

President Reagan signed legislation easing federal firearm controls and allowing gun dealers to sell rifles and shotguns to buyers anywhere in the country. The bill was passed unanimously by the Senate earlier this month after an intense campaign that pitted the gun lobby against police and handgun control organizations. The National Rifle Assn. and allied groups had been trying to weaken the 1968 federal Gun Control Act ever since it was passed in the wake of the murders of Dr.

A bill to weaken the nation's gun control law was passed by the House on a vote of 292 for and 130 against. This was a victory for the National Rifle Assn. and a defeat for police groups such as the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police.