FORT WORTH — Gov. George W. Bush says he is for reform, but a majority of Texans — even those among his supporters — are unable to say how Bush has improved the government since taking office in 1995, a recent poll shows.

The Texas Poll, conducted by Scripps-Howard for the `Star-Telegram and other media outlets, randomly asked 800 people to name a function of government that Bush has reformed. It noted that the Republican governor’s presidential campaign portrays him as a “reformer with results.”

Of those Texans polled, 63 percent said they could not connect Bush to a single incident of governmental reform.

Fifty-six percent of Bush’s supporters said they could not answer the question. And of those supporting Vice President Al Gore, the Democratic candidate for president, 70 percent said they could not think of a function of government that Bush has improved.

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Mr. Bush’s Political Trigger

Monday, March 6, 2000; Page A18

A DAY AFTER the first-grade shooting in Michigan, George W. Bush shifted his position on gun controls a notch. Gov. Bush said he would sign a law requiring trigger locks with handgun sales. But even this belated gesture weakened within hours when spokeswoman Karen Hughes explained that while Mr. Bush would sign legislation, he probably wouldn’t push such a bill because he doesn’t think it’s a “panacea.” It’s not; but what else has he proposed, and how do his positions stack up against those of other presidential candidates?

Last September–after church shootings in Fort Worth–Gov. Bush was ruling out any stronger gun controls. Since then, he has endorsed outlawing the import of certain high-capacity ammunition clips and raising the legal age for handgun purchases from 18 to 21. Gov. Bush signed a bill allowing Texans not convicted of felonies to carry concealed weapons if they attend a gun-safety course; he supports tougher penalties for crimes committed with a gun and background checks for buyers at gun shows–but only if the checks are instantaneous.

John McCain favors few controls, though he did vote for an amendment to the Senate juvenile justice bill that would make trigger locks mandatory, and he supports background checks. Alan Keyes dismisses gun control as “an outcome of Godless materialism.”

While the Republican candidates prefer to talk about violence more than the weapons that make it easy, Democrats Al Gore and Bill Bradley have taken strong stands for handgun licensing. Since January, Mr. Gore’s proposal has been embraced and pushed by President Clinton. Mr. Bradley has the strongest licensing plan, covering past as well as future purchases.

[Ahem... Dear readers, look twice at this unedited last paragraph. I ask you: How are police forces gonn'a buy weapons if we ban all handguns? Oh yes, police officers are a privilged class.]

No presidential candidate has yet called for the most effective move: a ban on the sale of handguns. If the raging gunfire is ever to subside, national leaders must take this stand.