PROPOSED MEASURE WOULD BAN FELONS FROM OWNING GUNS

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

DATE: FRIDAY, February 28, 1992                   TAG: 9202280179
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A5   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium
PROPOSED MEASURE WOULD BAN FELONS FROM OWNING GUNS
Congress moved on Thursday to keep guns away from felons.
The proposed Felon Gun Prohibition Act would stop convicted criminals from regaining their gun-owning privileges.
It would revoke the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms' ability to grant firearm relief to felons and bar states from restoring violent felons' right to own firearms.
"Under current law, when you are found guilty of a felony, you lose certain rights," said Rep. Larry Smith, D-Fla., a sponsor of the bill.
Smith added: "One of those is your right to own or possess a firearm. However, due to an egregious loophole in the law, convicted criminals after leaving prison can apply to the [government] for relief from this prohibition."
Rep. Edward Feighan, D-Ohio, a co-sponsor of the bill, said some felons who have won back their gun-ownership rights have been rearrested.
Since 1965, the ATF has had to deploy agents to decide which felons should have their firearm right restored.
The Violence Policy Center released a nine-page excerpt from a forthcoming study that describes 10 criminal cases in which felons were granted firearm privileges.
The figures from the Center's report show that the federal agency spent more that $21 million to investigate those requesting firearms. Smith said it costs taxpayers more than $4 million a year to research and rearm these felons.
Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill., a bill sponsor in the Senate, said: "I'm sure most taxpayers aren't aware that millions of dollars have been spent to help convicted felons get guns. I'm sure they would have the same reaction I did when I learned about this and began to look into it.
"This program is a waste of agent time and agency money," Simon continued.
"This bill is a common-sense step to end this wheel-spinning by agents who could be fighting crime instead of catering to these applications from criminals."
Smith said the National Rifle Association, a pro-gun lobby, favors the effort to get tough on criminals.
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB