The Nation - News from April 28, 1988

The chief lobbyist for the National Rifle Assn. gave a qualified endorsement to compromise legislation setting a minimum metallic standard for plastic guns. The Justice Department and law enforcement groups worked out the compromise, which is being introduced in the Senate by James A. McClure (R-Ida.) and would require that guns contain material that would be as detectable by metal detectors as 3.7 ounces of stainless steel. “Our opinion is it’s not a bad bill,” said James J. Baker of the NRA, which earlier had insisted that there be no government-established standard. Baker said the NRA’s main concern had been to ensure that legislation did not ban currently possessed firearms or any firearms currently being manufactured in the United States or imported.