European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 11, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes Friday april 11,1986 House passes Bill easing gun control act Washington a the House voted 286-136 thursday to Case Many restrictions of the 1968 gun control act but to maintain an 18-year-old ban on inter state handgun sales. The vote followed intense lobbying by the National Rifle association and rival hand gun control advocates including hundreds of uniformed policemen who roamed through the Capitol talking to lawmakers. The Bill sponsored by rep. Harold l. Volkmer d-mo., now goes to the Senate which last year approved a similar measure. Senators can accept the House Bill or Send the Issue to a House Senate conference to work out differences. After adopting the Volkmer language the House formally voted 292-130 to Send the Bill to the Senate. Both sides in the gun control controversy can claim a measure of Victory. The Era won the right to have firearms transported in interstate Commerce and an easing of record keeping requirements for gun Deal ers. The handgun control groups won on a vote of 233-184, retention of the interstate handgun ban although the prohibition on interstate Rifle and Shotgun sales would be lifted. These forces also won an Amend ment to prohibit Possession of machine guns. Passage of Volkmer s Bill meant that Congress is certain to make the first major changes in the 1968 gun control Law passed after the assassinations of Martin Luther King or. And Robert f. Kennedy. The retention of the interstate sales ban was proposed by rep. William j. Hughes d-n.j., sponsor of rival legislation to the Volkmer Bill. Hughes language deletes from the Volkmer measure a provision per mitting sales of All firearms by a dealer in one state to customers from other states. The Volkmer Bill still would weaken the current Law by allowing interstate sales of rifles and shotguns. But gun control and police groups have said All along that their major concern was with handguns. Hubert Williams president of the police foundation commented after the vote the Core of the Volkmer Bill was inter state sales and they lost on that one. There Are still Many defects. On the whole it is bad  he said police officers strongly disagreed with the interstate transportation provi Sions with a reduction in the number of Federal inspections of gun dealers and Lan Guage that would allow dealers to Transfer guns to their private collections then later sell them without keeping records. But John m. Snyder chief lobbyist of the citizens committee for the right to keep and Bear arms called the vote a historic Victory for America s tons of millions of Law abiding gun owners a smashing Suc Cess for a genuine people s  the vote signifies a j beginning shift in congressional attitudes in a whole Range of issues associated with the right of Law Abid ing citizens to keep and Bear arms for legitimate  on wednesday Hughes created test votes that led to defeats for the gun control advocates. First he offered a package that included continuing the interstate sales ban on hand guns and retaining Static and local govern ment control Over interstate transportation of pistols. It lost 248-176. Then he attempted to win the transportation provision standing alone. That Effort failed 242-177. The Volkmer Bill would permit interstate sales of All firearms arid create a right to transport them across St Lite lines. Nuclear device tested after 2 Days of delays Las vegas Nev. A a nuclear test was con ducted in the Nevada desert just after Dawn thursday following two Days of weather delays and growing protests among peace groups. The test code named mighty Oak went off without incident said Energy department spokesman Jack Camp Bell. It was conducted 1,300 feet underground in a Tunnel built under Rainier Mesa 93 Miles Northwest of Las vegas. The test explosion officially estimated at less than 20 Kilotons was believed to have an explosive punch of about 1,300 pounds of int ranking it among the smaller blasts at the sprawling test site. It was described As a weapon effects test. Such tests Are designed to determine the ability of . Space and Mili tary hardware to survive a nuclear blast. The test had sparked three Days of protests at the Nevada test site. Fourteen people were arrested on the site this week while 84 peace demonstrators were arrested at the Gates to the site. All were charged with trespassing. Campbell said no protesters were near ground Zero when thursday s test was detonated. Energy department officials had warned that heavily armed guards were under orders to shoot under certain circumstances. Our guard Force has standing orders said Doe spokesman Dave Miller. If your life is in danger you Are authorized to shoot to kill. If there is an attempt to steal nuclear weapons you Are authorized to shoot to  a source in Washington said winds not protesters or political pressures were to blame for the delays. Nuclear tests Are not conducted when winds Are blowing toward populated areas primarily Las vegas and los Angeles. Although All tests take place underground radioactive gases have occasionally escaped into the air. The United states conducts 15 to 20 underground tests annually and weather delays Are common. The soviet Union has carried out a unilateral test moratorium since aug. 6, and there has been pressure in con Gress for the United states to join in a test ban. The Reagan administration has said the soviets imposed the moratorium because they had completed their tests. Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev has said the soviets would re sume testing if the United states continues its tests. The Doe has refused to confirm that the test was rescheduled for wednesday or that it originally had been set for tuesday the same Day president Reagan met de parting soviet ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin. The dates of All tests Are classified except major tests that cause significant ground motion and Are announced 48 hours in Advance to warn managers of tall buildings in Las vegas not to have workers in precarious positions. . Officials have refused to discuss the purpose of the test. Stan Norris a research associate with the natural resources defense Council a private environmental group based in Washington said the test would measure the effect of radiation on the re entry vehicles of the land based my missiles and the Trident ii submarine missile. The last announced . Underground test was on March 22, which the Doe said had a yield of up to 150 Kilotons or 10 times the Force of the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima Japan in world War ii. Aids victim returns to school after court lifts ban Kokomo ind. Up teen age aids victim Ryan White smiling shyly and insisting he was t nervous returned to his 7th Grade classes thursday less than two hours after a judge threw out an in Junction barring him from school. But before Ryan s Mother walked him into Western Middle school beside a Corn Field outside Kokomo other parents began taking their children Home. Those who remained waved cheerfully at him. School authorities would not Tell report ers How Many children were taken Home. At least three students were seen leaving the Rural schoolhouse with their parents who also refused comment. Parents who led the fight to keep Ryan out of school said they would meet with their lawyer late thursday. My reaction is to go for an Appeal if we have grounds said Daniel Bogart one of the parents who want Ryan kept out of school. We find ourselves in a situation where we Are going to Send our children to school with a kid with aids. We re considering the possibility that if he judge is wrong we re endangering the lives of hundreds of children. I Don t think the court handled this fairly Bogart said. Ryan 14, wearing a Blue windbreaker and jeans arrived at the red Brick school with his Mother an hour and a Quarter after a circuit judge Jack o Neill in nearby Frankfort lifted the injunction barring him from school. Ryan contracted acquired immune deficiency syndrome during treatment for he Tophilia in the summer and thursday was Only his second Day of class since the school term started. More than a dozen reporters and Camer amen crowded around him and the slightly built Sandy haired boy answered their aids victim Ryan White 14, with Mother Jeanne at press conference. Up photo questions in quiet monosyllables. Is this a big Day for you a reporter asked the boy who brought no books with him. Yes he whispered. Are you nervous  Are you excited  Ryan s Mother told reporters that Princi pal Ron Colby greeted them at the school House door and gave him a Tablet a folder and a  the kids were waving at him As he walked through the Hall White said. She said had they lost the court Battle she and Ryan would have flown to California thursday to be on the Johnny Carson show and to see Disneyland. Ryan was first barred from school by school officials themselves but after a county health officer pronounced him no danger to other students providing certain precautions were taken he was allowed to ret urn on feb. 21. On the same Day a group of three parents obtained a temporary injunction again bar ring him from class. In Frankfort where the Case was moved because of the intense publicity judge o Neill ruled swiftly thursday morning. The preliminary injunction is dissolved he said citing precedents indicating there were no grounds for denying Ryan Access tothe classroom. Ryan immediately leaped to his feet and hugged his tearful Mother Jeanne. Half a dozen family friends All wearing Lapel buttons identifying hem As friends of Ryan White crowded around them Joy fully. Aids is a viral affliction in which the body s immune system becomes unable to resist disease. More Han 17,000 people in the United states Jive contracted aids and More than 9,000 have died according to National health records. Aids is most Ofteli transmitted through sexual Contact. Other Means of transmission include transfusions of blood or blood products and the sharing of contaminated hypodermic Needles or syringes by drug abusers. Scientists believe the disease is not transmitted through casual Contact. Ryan was diagnosed in december 1984. Since school officials decided not to readmit him he has taken part in classes with his seventh Grade schoolmates by a Telephone computer link to his Home five Miles away