GUN SALE RESTRICTION DRAWS FIRE; `BRADY BILL' WILL NOT DETER CRIME

A law enforcement official and a gun shop employee say a federal bill requiring a seven-day waiting period for handgun purchases won't reduce crime or keep handguns out of criminals' hands.

"If they don't want to wait seven days to buy one legally, they're going to find a gun," said Chris Terry, manager in-training at Bitter's Military Outfitters, 1420 N. Kingshighway.

Cape Girardeau Police Chief Howard Boyd Jr. said he doesn't think the measure, known as the Brady Bill, would have a significant impact on the use of firearms in crimes. "A lot of the (firearms) used in the commission of a crime are obtained illegally," said Boyd.

The House Judiciary Committee Tuesday approved the bill 23-11. The approval sets the stage for a crucial vote on the bill next month by the full House.

The bill is intended to prevent the sale of pistols to convicted criminals, drug users, or persons who are mentally defective. It provides that a gun may not be delivered to a purchaser for up to seven days while a local law enforcement agency does a background check on the person.

The bill is the namesake of James Brady, the former press secretary to ex-President Ronald Reagan. An assassination attempt on Reagan in 1981 left Brady paralyzed.

On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee rejected an amendment to the bill that called for creation of a national computer network to allow without a waiting period immediate background checks on gun purchasers. The Bush administration has favored such a proposal over the bill.

Boyd said a person might have to undergo a seven-day waiting period in buying a handgun at a sporting store. Yet the same person could get a handgun right away at a garage sale, even though the person is required to get a permit for the purchase, he said.

Terry, who described himself as a hobby shooter who does a lot of gun trading, said the general feeling is that lawmakers are trying to "weed out the criminals" by passing the bill. With so many firearms available on the street, though, a criminal could get a handgun without even going into a gun store, said Terry.

There is no real waiting period in Cape Girardeau County for a person to obtain a permit to buy a handgun, county Chief Deputy Leonard Hines said. County residents must apply for a handgun permit through the department. The cost is $10.

Most times, Hines said, there isn't a problem in issuing a permit because department officials already know the applicant. Other times, he said, the applicant may have to come back the next day.

"If it's someone we don't know, then we may check them out further," said Hines. This could include checking into the person's mental-health background, he said.

The department can take up to seven days for the process, Hines said. Due to that, he said, the Brady Bill wouldn't make any difference to the department.

"If they would deal a little harsher across the country with these people who commit a crime with a weapon, that would do more good," he said.

At Phegley's Shooter's Supply, 779 Enterprise, Manager Scott Dunning said he did not favor the Brady Bill. He said he is against it because fliers from the National Rifle Association and the U.S. House of Representatives claim the bill would require no criminal background check.

As such, Dunning said he favored the proposal pushed by the administration that would call for an immediate background check.

Said Dunning, "The law-abiding citizens, whose background would be clear, I don't think they should suffer for the rights of others."

Boyd said the bill might have more of an impact in a more heavily populated area.

(Some information for this story was provided by United Press International.)