Gun-Safety Steps Don’t Faze NRA

Two days after a major firearms manufacturer rattled the gun lobby by agreeing to several gun-safety measures, the National Rifle Assn. stood firm Sunday in opposition to legislation sought by gun-control proponents and declined to disavow recent heated attacks on President Clinton.

The bristling remarks by top NRA officials Charlton Heston and Wayne LaPierre came after a week in which LaPierre was criticized even by leading Republicans for his assertion that Clinton was “willing to accept a certain level of killing to further his political agenda.”

Although gun-control forces seem to be making progress in their war of words with the gun lobby, it remains unclear whether they can use those gains to break the political stalemate in Congress over proposals to make changes in federal gun laws.

They scored a symbolic victory last week on a House vote calling on key lawmakers to return to the bargaining table on gun legislation. But House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas), a leader in the fight against gun control, cast doubt on prospects for a breakthrough on proposals for background checks for purchasers at gun shows--a key sticking point.

Will Not Apologize, LaPierre Insists

The NRA’s comments on Sunday represented the group’s first major volley following Friday’s announcement that gun maker Smith & Wesson had cut a deal with the White House, adopting such safety measures as trigger locks and certain marketing restrictions in order to escape liability from allegations that manufacturers share the blame for the effects of gun violence.

Pressed by Tim Russert of NBC-TV’s “Meet the Press” on whether he stood by his previous characterization of Clinton, LaPierre repeatedly declined to give a direct yes-or-no answer but said he would not apologize.

Instead, the NRA’s executive vice president sought to shift the question to whether the Clinton administration is doing enough to prosecute gun laws. LaPierre said Clinton has gone easy on violent felons accused of gun crimes--a charge the White House dismisses.

“Bill Clinton has a big stick,” he said. “He can pick them up right now under existing federal law, hold them without bail, send them to the federal pen for up to five to 10 years. They’re not doing that. They let them roam the street and then let them go to their next killing.”

Heston, president of the NRA, also declined to repudiate LaPierre’s March 12 criticism and a subsequent remark in which the NRA executive vice president charged that Clinton had “blood . . . on his hands” for failing to take steps to prevent a fatal shooting.

“I think Wayne was speaking for himself. He’s also speaking as my colleague and the leadership of the NRA,” Heston said on ABC-TV’s “This Week.”

British Ownership of Smith & Wesson Cited

Heston, playing down the potential impact of Smith & Wesson’s settlement, pointed out that the company is British-owned. “I am not comfortable about the Brits telling us how to deal with our Bill of Rights. I think we settled that in 1776, didn’t we?” Heston said.

Although the NRA leaders were unapologetic, leading Republicans have distanced themselves somewhat from the group in recent days. Texas Gov. George W. Bush, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, has said LaPierre went too far. DeLay and House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas)--both usually quick to defend the group--said they would not have chosen LaPierre’s words.

And Rep. Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.), who as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee is a key negotiator on gun issues and no friend of Clinton, told CBS-TV’s “Face the Nation” when asked about LaPierre’s attacks on the president: “I would never make that statement. I wish it hadn’t been said.”

Hyde has been seeking for months to craft a compromise on gun shows. One proposal that he did not support, which was approved by the Senate in May, would require background checks on all purchasers at gun shows and would give authorities up to three days to screen out disqualified buyers. That failed to pass the House.