Senate Vote Calls for Safety Devices With Handguns

The political groundswell for stricter gun control continued to build Tuesday as the Senate voted overwhelmingly to require that all handguns be sold with trigger locks or other child safety devices--a measure roundly rejected less than a year ago.

The Senate also voted to curb the distribution of bomb-making information on the Internet, to limit Internet sales of alcohol to minors and to take new steps to crack down on gang violence. All the provisions are part of a wide-ranging juvenile crime bill that has taken on new urgency in the wake of last month’s high school massacre that left 15 dead, including the two gunmen, in Littleton, Colo.

The series of votes came as Republican Senate leaders struggled to cut through a partisan thicket and wrap up debate on the crime bill.

In another sign of how much the political ground is shifting on the issue, House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) in an interview endorsed the idea of requiring background checks for firearm purchases at gun shows, a provision in the Senate bill. He also said that he backs raising from 18 to 21 the minimum age to purchase a handgun, a proposal that the Senate may debate later this week.

An aide to a top House leader predicted that the chamber would approve tougher firearms regulations, including the safety lock requirement and the gun-show provision, later this year. Traditionally, opposition to gun control has been stronger in the House than in the Senate.

The safety lock amendment, offered by Sen. Herbert Kohl (D-Wis.), was approved, 78 to 20. California Democrats Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein voted for it. All of those voting against it were Republicans.

The amendment would require licensed gun dealers to include a safety device--such as a trigger lock or secure storage case--with every handgun they sell. But gun owners would not be required to use those devices.

But in a concession that helped win support from some Republicans, the amendment also would grant limited protection from lawsuits for gun owners who lock up their firearms properly. They would not be liable for damages caused by their guns if they fall into unauthorized hands.

The overwhelming vote on the amendment was another measure of the impact of the Colorado school shootings on the gun control debate. Last summer, a similar amendment lost, 61 to 39.

Despite Tuesday’s developments, the fate of the gun control provisions remains uncertain. As debate dragged on in the Senate, some Republicans expressed dissatisfaction because their leaders had allowed lawmakers’ focus to shift from the topic of crime fighting--which the GOP typically has dominated--to gun control, where the party has found itself on the defensive.

The issue of background checks for gun-show sales has proved particularly embarrassing to Senate Republicans. Last week, they pushed through an amendment to make such checks voluntary. The resulting outcry--and criticism that the party was beholden to the gun lobby--caused the GOP to reverse course and approve required checks.

“The way we’ve mishandled it, we’ll get shot at from both sides,” said Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.).

Republican leaders continued to express impatience with the number of gun control amendments being offered to the juvenile crime bill by Democrats, accusing them of caring more about scoring political points than about finishing work on the measure. “They just want to drag it out and play games with it,” said Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.). But Democrats accused Lott of maneuvering to kill the bill--which also includes amendments that would ban juvenile possession of certain assault weapons and bar import of large ammunition clips.

Democratic leaders worked behind the scenes to scale back the number of amendments and reach agreement on a time for ending debate later this week.

And President Clinton, who last week sharply criticized Republicans over background checks for those buying guns at shows, praised the Senate on Tuesday for passing the safety lock provision. Clinton called it “a courageous, common sense vote that will help prevent tragic shootings and gun-related accidents.”

But the Kohl amendment did not satisfy all gun control advocates. One such group, the Washington-based Violence Policy Center, called the provision inadequate because it fails to set specific standards for the safety devices. The center argued that many trigger locks are poorly designed and ineffective.

Some gun control advocates had reservations about the liability protections, fearing that they would open the door to gun manufacturers seeking protection from lawsuits. But Kohl insisted that the protections would apply only to individuals.

Taking another tack in the fight against youth crime, the Senate approved the anti-gang amendment--sponsored by Feinstein--by an 85-13 vote. The measure would increase sentences for gang members who commit federal crimes and make it easier to prosecute people who recruit new gang members.

The amendment also includes a provision designed to make it harder to spread bomb-making information on the Internet, which was apparently a source of information for the teenage killers in Colorado. The provision would make it a federal crime to teach or distribute bomb-making information on the Internet if it is intended or expected to be used to commit a violent crime.

Hastert’s comments favoring increased gun control were especially significant because he has opposed such proposals in the past.

He based his backing for background checks of sales at gun shows on the need for legal consistency. “I think there needs to be uniformity in what they do at gun shows and what they do in a retail business,” he told the Associated Press.

Under current law, any federally licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check on a national computer data bank on anyone who buys a gun. However, about 40% of the guns sold at gun shows are by people who are not licensed dealers and therefore not required to run background checks.

The House speaker cited the same reasoning in his support for raising to 21 the minimum age for buying a handgun. “I’m just saying 21 is basically a standard of adulthood and there’s probably a uniformity that fits there.”

On another issue, the Senate dealt a blow to the California wine industry by approving an amendment designed to prevent Internet sales of alcohol to underage purchasers. The amendment, by Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), would give states new legal powers to enforce laws regarding the sale and distribution of wine and other alcoholic beverages across state lines. Some of those sales occur through the Internet--a concern to critics who believe that teenagers are among those placing the orders.

The wine industry opposed the amendment, contending that Internet wine sales--crucial to many small wineries that lack access to alcohol distributors--have not led to significant problems with underage alcohol consumption. A spokesman for the Wine Institute said that it would have “a chilling effect” on efforts by winemakers to open up new interstate markets.

Feinstein tried to derail the Byrd amendment by offering an alternative that would require clear labeling on alcohol shipped across state lines and require an adult signature to receive such a package. But the Senate approved both measures--the Byrd amendment by an 80 to 17 vote and Feinstein’s by voice vote.

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Times staff writers Nick Anderson and James Gerstenzang contributed to this story.