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

DATE: FRIDAY, March 29, 1991                   TAG: 9103290312
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

REAGAN BACKS GUN-CONTROL BILL

Former President Reagan, speaking near the hospital where he almost died of an assassin's bullet 10 years ago, declared his support Thursday for a bill that would require a seven-day waiting period for handgun purchases as "just plain common sense."

In a dramatic endorsement, the lifelong member of the National Rifle Association urged Congress to adopt quickly the so-called Brady bill because "with the right to bear arms comes a great responsibility to use caution and common sense."

Reagan spoke at a dedication of the emergency unit of George Washington University Medical Center, where Reagan and former press secretary James S. Brady - the bill's namesake - were rushed March 30, 1981, after they were shot by John W. Hinckley Jr.

Reagan's endorsement of the bill makes him its most high-profile supporter, and comes at a time when the measure seems to be rapidly gaining momentum. Some attribute the shift to the continuing rash of violence involving guns, an apparent weakening of the NRA's support, and the better organization of gun-control groups.

At the White House, officials suggested that President Bush might support the Brady bill in return for congressional backing for anti-crime legislation proposed by Bush. "We don't support the bill in its current form, but a lot may depend on what Congress does with the president's crime bill," said Roman Popadiuk, deputy press secretary.

Advocates of the Brady bill predicted that Reagan's endorsement would provide a critical boost to the proposal, which failed in the House of Representatives by 36 votes in 1988.

"This could make the difference," said Rep. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., chairman of a House subcommittee on criminal justice. He said many members of Congress have been inclined to support the bill, but needed the kind of political cover that Reagan's endorsement would provide.

Schumer said that by his count, the measure lacked 10 to 15 votes of support before Reagan's announcement. Now, he said, "it's neck and neck."

An aide to Rep. Harold L. Volkmer, D-Mo., a key opponent of the measure, agreed that the vote would be very close.

The bill would provide a waiting period to allow - but not require - local law enforcement agencies to check whether a purchaser has a criminal record or disqualifying mental disorder.

The NRA, in a prepared statement, said Reagan "has an understandable loyalty to James Brady." NRA officials declined to discuss how the move would affect the bill's chances.

The NRA has rejected the bill as an unconstitutional infringement on Americans' right to bear arms. It supports an alternative measure, introduced by Rep. Harley O. Staggers, D-W.Va., that would allow instant computer checks of handgun buyers, although critics contend that most police agencies will not have such equipment for several years.

Reagan's endorsement was a personal victory for Brady, who was left wheelchair-bound by Hinckley's attack, and his wife, Sarah. The couple worked through much of the 1980s to promote passage of the bill.

Sarah Brady said she learned of Reagan's support for waiting periods in 1988, but was reluctant to ask for an endorsement from her husband's former employer. When she brought up the issue with Reagan, he insisted, "Quote me - quote me anytime!"

by CNB