Nation IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Panel OKs 7-Day Wait on Handguns

The House Judiciary Committee approved a seven-day waiting period for handgun purchases, paving the way for debate by the full House on a measure that supporters say will ease the crime epidemic. The panel approved the measure on a 23-11 vote after rejecting an alternative plan to require “point-of-sale” checks of computerized criminal records. Both sides say they expect a close vote when the so-called Brady bill goes to the House floor in two weeks. The bill is named after ex-White House Press Secretary James S. Brady, who was paralyzed in the 1981 attempt on then-President Ronald Reagan’s life.