
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 28, 1991                   TAG: 9103280540
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

REAGAN SUPPORTS BRADY BILL ON GUNS

Former President Reagan, whose administration opposed gun-control legislation, announced today that he supports the so-called Brady bill, requiring a seven-day waiting period for firearms purchases.

"It's just plain common sense that there be a waiting period to allow local law enforcement officials to conduct background checks on those who wish to buy a handgun," Reagan said in a speech at George Washington University.

Reagan, 80, and his wife, Nancy, were invited to the university to receive an honorary degree of doctor of public service and to have a reunion with doctors and nurses who treated him at GWU Hospital after an attempt on his life 10 years ago Saturday.

James Brady, his press secretary at the time, was permanently disabled in the shooting. Brady and his wife, Sarah, who were invited to join Reagan on the platform, have become principal supporters of the waiting-period bill.

Reagan told the audience, "You do know that I am a member of the NRA (National Rifle Association) and my position on the right to bear arms is well known.

"But I want you to know something else, and I am going to say it in clear, unmistakable language: I support the Brady bill and I urge the Congress to enact it without further delay. With the right to bear arms comes a great responsibility to use caution and common sense on handgun purchases."

In a question-and-answer session with reporters before the convocation, Reagan said he always has supported the waiting-period concept although his administration opposed other gun-control legislation.

"Maybe there was some misunderstanding because of a lot of other things that were being talked about that I didn't agree with," he said. "The Constitution protects the right of a citizen to bear arms, but when Sarah Brady came forward with this, what is now called the Brady bill, she knows that I have supported it. I think it is badly needed."

President Bush, meanwhile, is being urged by some officials in his administration to soften his opposition to the Brady bill, administration sources said today. However, Attorney General Dick Thornburgh has argued that a seven-day waiting period would have only a negligible effect on the massive trafficking in illegal firearms.

by CNB