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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 1993)
sK&ysssu- News digest House decides to give approval to Brady Bill Imposes a five-day waiting period for handgun purchase WASHINGTON — Responding to public fear of street crime, the House approved the Brady bill Wednesday that would require a five day wait and a background check on people who want to buy handguns. The House voted 238-189 for the bill and sent it to the Senate. The House also approved Brady last year only to see it fail after being attached to a larger crime bill blocked by Senate Republicans. This time, it is being kept separate in the hope the Senate will send it to President Clinton, who has promised to sign it. During the debate, Rep. Lucicn Blackwell, D-Pa., noted that his West ' Philadelphia neighborhood has hun dreds of deaths each year from pis tols. “We need to stop these thugs from getting these guns rapidly, and if we pass the Brady bill, we will do that,” Blackwell said. “What is wrong with waiting five days to get a pistol? What is wrong with that?” The Brady bill, named for press secretary James Brady who was shot during a 1981 assassination attempt on President Reagan, would impose a five-day waiting period before a handgun purchase could be complet ed and would require a background check during that time on would-be buyers. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., sup porting a successful amendment to set a deadline of five years for devel oping a computerized, nationwide system of instant background checks and a phaseout of the waiting period, said: “If we can check credit card pur chases instantaneously, if we can have our policemen check driving records instantaneously, then certain ly we can check criminal histories instantaneously.” Rep. Butler Derrick, D-S.C., said a waiting period of five working days represents less time “than most peo ple have to wait for their dry clean ing.” The amendment, backed by the National Rifle Association and pro posed by Rep. George Gekas, R-Pa., was approved by a 235-198 vote. Gun control proponents characterized it as an attempt to gut Brady’s effec tiveness. Rep. Mike Synar, D-Okla., called it “a very clever attempt to derail the five-day waiting period.” “Using this amendment’s common sense,” Synar said, “one would quit giving CPR to a heart attack victim after five minutes.” The five-year deadline was im posed on a provision already in this year’s Brady bill which said that when background information is sufficient ly computerized and instant checks are possible, the waiting period would end, and instant checks would be re quired on purchases of both hand guns and long guns. The House rejected by a 175-257 vote another NRA-backed amend ment offered by Rep. Bill McCollum, — M If we can check credit card purchases instanta neously, if we can have our policemen check driving records instantaneously, then certainly we can check criminal histories instantaneously. — Rep. Bishop, D-Ga. ___ _ R-Fla. It would have pre-empted all state or local laws that require wait ing periods once the instant checks took effect. Opponents had called it a “killer amendment” that would “eviscerate Brady.” The Brady bill has been separated from far-reaching crime bills in the House and Senate in an effort to get it to Clinton this year. Last year, the Brady bill died along with a larger crime bill of w hich it was only a small part when Senate Republicans threatened to filibuster over changes in rules governing ap peals to federal courts by state in mates, particularly those on death row. ¥ ¥ The Senate continued slogging through its crime bill. Late Tuesday, Republicans threatened to filibuster the amendment. The Senate planned to take up the Brady bill after completing work on the crime bill. Brady, who with his wife, Sarah, has been pushing the bill for a de cade, was in the House chamber dur ing the debate. The House overwhelmingly ap proved a Brady bill amendment that would require police to provide within 20 days the reason for a denial of a right to purchase a handgun, if the person denied seeks it. Nine Americans die in British bus accident FA VERSHAM, England — A bus carrying American tourists to Can terbury Cathedral careened off a rain slicked highway Wednesday, killing 10 people and injuring more than 30 when it plunged down an embank ment. Nine Americans and the British driver were killed, the State Depart ment said in Washington. The coach carrying 46 people spun out of control off the M2 motorway in Kent county and careened 20 feet down an embankment after appar ently clipping a van in front, police said. The tour company said there were 42 Americans, two Canadians and a British driver and guide on board. Police said the driver was believed to be among the dead. Kent county police spokesman Jon Steel said the death toll was likely to rise to 12. Names were not being released until families were notified. The accident happened at about 9:40 a.m., some two hours after the coach, operated by a British compa ny called Travelers International, left London. It occurred near the town of Faversham about 50 miles southeast of the capital. “There were people screaming and trying to get out,” said truck driver Richard Hearn, who was traveling behind the bus. “1 pulled up and helped to get them out.” Fleets of ambulances raced to the scene. Paramedics treated some of the injured who were trapped in the wreckage until firefighters cut the passengers free. Some of the injured were treated on the wet, leaf-strewn embankment before being rushed to Kent and Can terbury Hospital. Others were whisked away by helicopter ambu lances that landed on the highway. Authorities said only two of the injured were in serious condition. John Walravcn, who lives near the accident site, said, “It was the most terrible thing I have ever seen in my -44 It was the most terri ble thing I have ever seen in my life There were people on the coach and arms and legs sticking out everywhere. —Walraven, British resident -» - life. ... There were people on the coach and arms and legs sticking out everywhere.” ’$$$— FOR ■■■■ COLLEGE YOU Can Qualify To Earn Up To 75% Of Your Tuition While Working At Amigos! Dave McCoppin - UNL Chemical Engineer major, had 50% of his tuition paid. Cynthia Kizzier - UNK “The first thing I do with my STEP check is pay my parents back. They think the program is great.” Carrie Potter - UNL Began working at Amigos while in high school and gets 50% of her tuition paid. If you started working for Amigos as a sophomore in high school, you could receive the following amounts toward your tuition each semester. UNO 50% UNL 50% UNK 50% Metro Tech 75% Iowa Western 50% Peru Sute 50% SE Comm. College 75% Wayne St. 50% Johnson Co. College 75% * This is a partial list. Many more schools are covered.* Itys time to go to work for a company that thinks about the future...ours and yours! Call now to apply for a great job that offers a bonus scholarship. [\w*AQP®° — Call: 402-488-8500 Jk^^K * * Mon.-I n. SAM - 5PM Sal. 9AM - Noon MEXICAN FOOD ^ -STATE WIRE Nebraskans hope declassified records give answers OMAHA — A Lincoln woman hopes to get answers about her brother when the Pentagon declassifies most records about Americans missing in action in the Vietnam War Thurs day. Linda Bohac was aw aiting her older broth er’s return so he could give her away at her wedding in 1969 when the news arrived: Her brother. Harold Kahler. a 44-ycar-old career Air Force pilot, had been shot down in an F 105 over Laos. She and her family have only sketchy infor mation about her brother — and many ques tions about his fate. They’re hoping for some answers after records about America’s 2,200 Vietnam MIAs, including 24 Nebraskans, are declassified. The information is long overdue, Ms. Bohac said. “My brother will probably never walk out of Vietnam,” she said. “But somebody clse’s brother could. I believe some men are still alive, and I don’t think they are there because they want to be.” Jim Crabtree, president of the Nebraska council for Vietnam Veterans of America, said he was cautiously optimistic about what the documents will yield. “Any release of documents is welcome, said Crabtree, who served in the Army during the war. “However, we know there are still many unanswered questions for which the gov ernment can provide answers. “But release of that information would prove to be so embarrassing there is little hope ol getting that information out in the very near future.” --m SPORTS WIRE Chicago ’s Thomas unanimously wins MVP award Ntw YORK — trank Thomas, who set a Chicago White Sox record with 41 homers, on Wednesday became the eighth player unani mously voted the American League Most Valu able Player. Thomas, who hit .317 and was second in the major leagues with 128 RBls, easily beat Toronto Blue Jays’ Paul Molitor, who received 13 second-place votes in voting by the Base ball Writers Association of America. Thomas’ victory gave the White Sox three of the four AL awards. Jack McDowell was voted the Cy Young Award and Gene Lamont was voted Manager of the Year. The last team to have three different people capture those awards in the same season was the Atlanta Braves in 1991, when Terry Pendleton was the MVP, Tom Glavine was the Cy Young winner and Bobby Cox was the top manager. AL batting champion John Olerud, Molitor s teammate, was third in voting, followed by Texas Rangers outfielder Juan Gonzalez. Se attle Mariners’ Ken Griffey Jr. and Roberto Alomar of the Blue Jays tied for fifth. Nebraskan Edilor J*r^ny Frtzprtrick Night News Editors JaH Zeleny 472*1766 Liu SIckAd Managing Editor Wendy Mott Kristina Long Assoc News Editors Angle Brunkow Andrea Kaaar Editorial Page Editor Kathy Steinauer An Director David Badders „ ^ , FAX NUMBER 472 1761 i .nrnin0^ '* ,he UNl Publications Board, Nebraska Union 34,1400 R St , Lincoln^NE, Monday through Fnday dunng the academic year, weekly dunng summer sessions Readers are encouraged to submit story ideas and comments to the daily Nebraskan by phoning 472-1763 between Doilg Fiedler1 43^6407^ ,hf0U^h ^nday The public also has access to the Publications Board For information, contacl 1 Subscription price Is $50 for one year 0448°^3«concLclass^postagepairfa?LincoIn^NE***^ Union 34, 1400 R St .Lincoln, NE 68588 All material copyright 19*3 daily nebraskan