CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, November 2,1994
3A
Shooting at White House fires up gun-control debate
The Brady Bill and Crime Bill were steps in the process,but lawmakers still face issues of firearm availability.
By Casey Barnes Kansan staff writer
When a Colorado man opened fire on the White House Saturday, the age-old debate on gun control was rekindled.
The gunman, Francisco Martin Duran, 26, was a convicted felon who had spent more than two years in a military prison and had been dishonorably discharged from the military — a history that would have prevented him from buying a handgun, but did not bar the purchase of the Chinese-made, SKS semiautomatic rifle that he bought in a Colorado gun store.
Policies to limit guns have been in direct conflict with the views of groups such as the National Rifle Association and the more than 80 million gun owners who insist on their right to buy and keep firearms for sporting activities and protection.
Congress has taken steps to limit the spread of guns, and the debate is far from calm when it comes to the issue of gun control. One such step is the Crime Bill of 1994, which was signed into law in September. In May, President Bill Clinton banned imports of the Chinese SKS semiautomatic rifle, but neither of these laws banned the sales of existing stock — which is how Duran purchased his gun.
Congress also passed the Brady Bill, which became law in February 1994 and imposed a five-day waiting period and mandatory background checks on all persons who seek to buy a handgun.
The Brady Bill has had some success in Kansas in keeping those who are not qualified to buy a gun from doing so.
Since the inception of the Brady Bill, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation has assisted Kansas sheriffs and police in 13,618 background checks and found that 491 potential gunbuyers had a criminal record of some kind, said Scott Teeselink, special agent with the KBI.
Russell Getter, associate professor of political science, said that the Brady Bill prevented people from making emotionally-based handgun purchases but that critics suggest that equipment was not sophisticated enough to do a thorough background check.
"The information needed comes
from a very sophisticated information system, and keeping it up to date is a large task." Getter said. "But the data will get better over time, and the nation's ability to keep track of people will improve."
But the vast amount of information needed worldwide is still a fact that leads some to wonder if the Brady Bill is enough.
Duran, who is a convicted felon, was not buying a handgun. He also lied about his criminal history on the application to buy the gun.
In all their attempts to restrict access to handguns, lawmakers have become concerned with criminals substituting rifles and shotguns for handguns.
"This is a popular theory, but the
record does not support it," Getter said. "It is not supported because most violent crimes like murder are committed with handguns."
Getter said freedom for sportsmen to own firearms should be maintained but that the appropriate steps must be taken to eliminate as many handguns as possible in society. The Brady Bill is an effective start, he said.
"The Brady Bill has a deterrence effect on some individuals, but we will never know just how many," Getter said. "Millions of guns are already out there, and it may take 50 or 100 years to gradually come to grips with the excessive number of guns in our society. It may never happen, but we have to take steps now to begin to address the problem."
GRAVES —He does not support any further gun control legislation. He said it was time to enforce existing laws.
WHERE THE CANDIDATES STAND
GOVERNOR
Bill Graves (R)
Jim Slattery (D)
ATTORNEY GENERAL
SLATTERY He says he has always supported the Second Amendment. He said that as governor, he would not support any additional restrictive state legislation on firearms
STOVALL
She does not support laws restricting guns from law-abiding citizens who wish to protect their families and themselves.
Carla Stovall (R)
SCHODORF — He does not agree with gun control, because he does not feel that it reduces crime. He said that current gun laws should be enforced. If laws
Richard Schodorf (D) control arms.
could get them, he said.
U.S. HOUSE — 3RD DISTRICT
MEYERS — "I voted for the Brady bill, because I think we should try to keep guns out of the hands of people who have mental problems or with criminal records," she said.
Jan Meyers (R)
Judy Hancock (D)
HANCOCK — "I would have voted for the Brady bill," she said. "I would have voted for the ban on assault weapons. I think a lot of it gets blown out of proportion. We need to be."
mindful of the fact that less than 1 percent of the murders in the United States are committed with assault weapons. We need to be aware of the full facts that pertain to this subject."
U.S. HOUSE — 2ND DISTRICT
BROWNBACK — He said that the government had gone far enough on gun control, and that gun control did not equate with crime control.
Sam Brownback (R)
CARLIN — He said that he saw no reason for further legislation toward gun control. He said that the obvious problems from gun violence had been solved.
KANSAS HOUSE 44TH
John Carlin (D)
BALLARD — Ballard believes that there are too many guns, and that they need to be controlled. She said she realized that people always would have access to guns, but she said she felt that it should be harder to get them. Guns perpetuate crime. There should be some access, but they should not be so easy to get, she said
KANSAS HOUSE - 45TH
Barbara Ballard (D)
SLOAN—'I own guns,' he said. "I have no problem with waiting peri-
ods. But the Brady Bill didn't cover everything, such as gun shows."
Forrest Swail (D)
KANSAS HOUSE — 46TH
SCHMIDT — He supports gun rights. He said that convicts had forfeited their rights to guns.
Eric Schmidt (R)
Troy Findley (D)
KANSAS HOUSE 47TH
FLOWER —She agrees with the banning of assault weapons. She thinks that more people are afraid of such weapons, even in rural areas.
Joann Flower (R)
Charlie Geist (D)
GEIST — He doesn't agree with the portion of the crime bill that eliminates guns. He supports citizens' rights to have guns of any kind. Making guns illegal creates a new market, he said. "Keeping guns out of the
hands of law-abiding citizens is not going to keep the guns out of the hands of criminals," he said.
DOUGLAS COUNTY COMMISSION
Mark Buhlier (R)
Lisa Blair (D)
BLAIR — She declined to comment, saying that gun control was not an issue that would be addressed by the Douglas County Commission.
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