GUN ENTHUSIASTS EYEING HOUSE

A Republican promise to repeal the federal ban on assault weapons has local gun enthusiasts cheering.

The ban was part of the 1994 crime bill, passed by a Democratic majority in Congress. Political tides changed soon after, and now House Republicans plan to get the repealing issue through the Rules Committee and up for a vote by Friday.

U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson said Wednesday he supports an end to the ban and will vote in favor of the repeal. Emerson receives an "A" each year from the National Rifle Association, which rates legislators on their support of gun-related issues.

"I commend Majority Leader Dick Armey's decision to schedule a vote to repeal the Clinton gun ban," he said. "Fighting crime is one thing, punishing law-abiding citizens and treading on our Second Amendment rights is quite another."

Even some law enforcement officials didn't support a complete ban on assault weapons, including Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan.

Jordan said outright bans on weapons don't accomplish much -- they merely force law-abiding gun collectors to look for other ways to find what they want. He blamed the federal government's lack of attention to gun imports for the problems associated with assault weapons.

"There are certain weapons that I have a problem with," Jordan said. "But so many times, liberals in the news media want to consider a shotgun an assault weapon. We have a few incidents that get a lot of attention, and then a lot of law-abiding citizens are penalized."

The sheriff said he has encountered some assault weapons in Cape Girardeau County, but most were obtained legally prior to the ban.

Local members of the NRA are keeping an eye on the federal legislation along with a state law legalizing concealed weapons. Bob Sliger of Park Hills, assistant editor of the NRA-affiliated magazine "The Missouri Shooter," has traveled to Jefferson City several times to lobby for fewer gun laws.

He called the assault weapons ban a "feel-good" law created for people who don't really understand firearms. As someone who does, Sliger said he believes every American should be able to own the guns he wants.

"I believe it was a right given to me by our Founding Fathers," he said. "I don't believe that right should be taken away."

Democrats vowed Wednesday to delay the bill, with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., promising "the mother of all filibusters" to stop repeal in the Senate.

It is unlikely the repeal will pass with President Clinton in office, but Tanya Metaska, the NRA's chief lobbyist, is insisting on a House vote this year to ensure candidates supported with NRA money in 1994 vote yes.

(Some information provided by the Associated Press.)