Bill to Ban Assault Weapons Is Short of Majority in House

Supporters of a ban on assault weapons are 15 to 20 votes short in the House of Representatives, a key congressman said Sunday.

In the latest head count by House Democratic leaders, a bill banning assault-style weapons, such as Uzis and AK-47s, is shy of a majority, raising the prospect of a major disagreement between the House and Senate on anti-crime legislation.

“I find it very surprising with all the mayhem going on in the streets,” Rep. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in an interview Sunday. “The House voted against an assault-weapons ban two years ago, but a lot has changed since then.”

Schumer is chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee on crime and the leading sponsor of the assault-weapons ban.

The Senate last fall passed a $22-billion crime bill that included the weapons ban. The House version, scheduled for continued debate this week, has no ban.

Differences between House and Senate bills are common. But if the disagreement packs enough political weight, it can sink an entire bill.

Schumer said aggressive lobbying by the National Rifle Assn. is behind the soft support for the assault-weapons ban in the House.

“Members kept coming to me and saying: ‘Look, I voted for the Brady bill. I thought it was the right thing to do, and the gun lobby came down very hard on me, and I can’t vote against them,’ ” he said.

The NRA was closed Sunday, and a spokesman for the lobbying group could not be reached.

The Brady bill, signed into law last year, created a five-day waiting period and a procedure for background checks on people seeking to buy a handgun.

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Sunday that he will insist that the final crime bill ban assault weapons.