May 26, 1999
Web posted at: 6:12 p.m. EDT (2212 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, May 26) -- House Republicans thwarted a Democratic move Wednesday to force parts of the juvenile justice bill out of the Judiciary Committee and onto the House floor.

The Republican-controlled committee rejected, 19-13, a move by the committee's ranking Democrat, Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, to approve and send to the full House the Senate's gun control proposals, including the controversial "gun-show loophole" amendment.

In rejecting Conyers' move, committee Chairman Henry Hyde (R-Illinois) said his panel needs to study the Second Amendment ramifications of the proposals.

"There is a Second Amendment ... that we're dealing with and therefore we should move expeditiously but not in a stampede ... we're going to do this and we're going to do it right," Hyde said.

But Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) warned "this is not a rush but a response to the crisis at hand," referring to the recent school shootings in Georgia and Colorado.

Democrats hoped to capitalize on the momentum and public interest built during last week's heated gun control debate in the Senate by forcing the full House to consider the proposals before its Memorial Day vacation, which begins Friday.

Vice President Al Gore will travel to Capitol Hill Thursday to reinforce that message in a press conference with the House and Senate Democratic leadership.

Democrats hope that Gore's presence will remind voters that the controversial "gun show loophole" amendment only passed due to Gore's tie-breaking vote in the Senate last week.

Democratic sources say they will continue to push for a vote this week and when the motion to recess for the holiday comes up on the floor they will vote "no."

But the House Republican leadership, including Hyde and House Speaker Dennis Hastert, say the landmark crime package aimed at curbing juvenile violence will not come to the floor until mid-June.

While they are careful to publicly support the measures that caused a political backlash against their Senate counterparts, the GOP House leaders hope to use the next couple of weeks to make changes to legislation.

"We support common-sense legislation that keeps guns out of the hands of unsupervised children," Hastert said.

Hyde went further in warning that the bill was in for changes, saying "as we enact these reforms, we must exercise some care in avoiding unforeseen consequences."

House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) added: "If language is properly written with respect to instant checks at gun shows, I think I could support that."

The battle to include a Democratic amendment requiring non-licensed dealer at gun shows to perform background checks almost derailed the entire bill in the Senate. Republicans originally rejected the measure, but after a heated debate some Republicans reversed their opposition and moved to find a compromise. Eventually the Senate voted 50-50, with Gore casting the deciding vote, to approve a modified version of the Democratic amendment.

Two knowledgeable GOP sources, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said some Republicans think the Senate version is too onerous on gun show promoters.

Judiciary Committee member Rep. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas told the panel Wednesday that he has problems with many details in the Senate bill. "I don't think the Senate's approach last week is what the American people expected of a deliberative body," Hutchinson said.

But Democrats, who pushed to add the gun control amendments to the two-year old juvenile justice bill, warn that delaying a vote will give the powerful gun lobby time to mobilize.

"It doesn't take the NRA (National Rifle Association) very long to reload," Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-New York). "To postpone this measure for too long is in fact to say that (Republicans) aren't sure that they want it to pass."

The NRA may get that chance during the House Judiciary Committee hearing on the measure and on what the NRA contends is lax enforcement of current gun laws.

According to a knowledgeable Republican official who asked The Associated Press not to be identified, the GOP has invited the NRA to testify at the hearing.

In addition to the "gun-show loophole" amendment, House Republicans also oppose a measure that would prevent the sale of all semi-automatic assault rifles to juveniles who have committed crimes.

Hyde said Tuesday that provision is problematic because most states either destroy or keep juvenile delinquency records confidential, adding the House should prohibit states from making those records available for background checks.

The gun control debate moved into the House Friday after the Senate settled the gun show issue and easily passed the sweeping juvenile justice bill.

In addition to the expanded background checks, the bill requires child-safety devices on handguns and restrictions on automatic weapons. The legislation also dedicates $1 billion annually for five years for tougher enforcement of violent crimes committed by America's youth while expanding juvenile crime prevention programs.

It also allows for studies on the effects of movies, television and video games on children.

CNN's Candy Crowley and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Wednesday, May 26, 1999

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