U.S. Congress passes 1st gun control law since 1994

    WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Congress passed on Wednesday the nation's first gun control law since 1994, months after it was first introduced to the legislature in response to April's Virginia Tech shooting rampage.

    The bill was approved in the House and Senate by voice without any objections.

    Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, the measure's main sponsor, said the passage was "the best Christmas present" she could receive.

    The new bill updates an old gun control law by imposing penalties and providing financial incentives so states would regularly provide mental health records to the Attorney General and to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)'s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

    The NICS, which is supposed to serve as the central database regulating gun ownership, has been out-of-date because privacy laws have prevented states from providing records.

    The new bill will also pay for costs of appeals from people who were wrongfully disqualified to purchase a gun, as well as clean the national database of inaccurate mental health records.

    McCarthy, whose husband was killed by a gunman on a Long Island commuter train in New York State in 1993, pushed the legislation shortly after Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 students before committing suicide on April 16.

    Due to a loophole in gun control, Cho was able to buy guns despite a history of mental illness, investigation showed.

    The White House made no statements on whether President George W. Bush will sign or veto the bill.

    Bush said in June that he was "closely following legislative efforts to strengthen the instant background check system."

    The measure automatically becomes law if the president takes no action in 10 days.