Drawing a Bead on Assault Gun Ban : NRA and its House allies seek to kill a wise law

In a year that has seen more than the usual number of votes that are as symbolic as substantive, what is arguably the most illogical of the lot is still to come. Any day now, House Republicans will attempt to repeal the federal ban on assault weapons.

Don’t look for advance notice of this action. Repeal supporters first scheduled a vote for last May but the April 19 terrorist bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building made that timing look insensitive. Calling this vote near Christmas--the season of joy and peace--hardly seems better.

And don’t look for public hearings on the merits of the 1994 law, which bans the possession and sale of 19 types of semiautomatic assault weapons. There probably won’t be any. Why not? For one thing, polls consistently show broad support for the ban on assault weapons and ammunition magazines that hold more than nine rounds. But public opinion apparently is unimportant to the National Rifle Assn. and, seemingly, to the congressional members who so assiduously do its bidding while with a straight face claiming to represent their constituents.

The NRA says it supports “responsible gun ownership,” but assault weapons and semiautomatics, increasingly favored by criminals, promote anything but. No other type of gun can kill or maim so many people so quickly. Just ask the victims of the 1993 Long Island Rail Road shooting--the ones who are still alive, that is. Six people were killed when a gunman sprayed a rush-hour train car with bullets from his semiautomatic and 19 were wounded, several badly.

Such guns have no legitimate use in hunting or sport shooting. Nevertheless, the 1994 assault ban has stuck in the NRA’s craw and its repeal has been the group’s highest priority. Members of Congress who vote for repeal probably can count on generous support from an organization that is known for taking care of its friends.

Even gun control advocates concede that the House is very likely to support repeal of the assault ban. The move is being led by Rep. Bob Barr (R-Ga.), widely regarded as relentless and dogmatic in his support of the gun lobby. Senate passage will be more difficult; Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who sponsored last year’s ban, promises the “mother of all filibusters” to block repeal. President Clinton promises a veto if the repeal bill reaches his desk. There ought to be enough members of the House and Senate to make his vow unnecessary. All Congress has to do is listen to its constituents; Americans are clamoring for many things, but the free flow of assault weapons is not one of them.