A three-way battle is shaping up in the House over the same issue that snarled the Senate in bitter debate the last week: gun control.

Most Democrats and some Republicans seem willing to copy much of what the Senate adopted when it passed a major juvenile-justice bill Thursday. Democratic leaders are pushing for a House vote as soon as next week.

Republicans leaders such as Tom DeLay of Texas want to put off a vote at least until next month, but Republican rank-and-file members are at odds over how far to go in imposing new restrictions. Some are downright opposed to any additional controls; others are sympathetic to many of the same approaches as most Democrats.

Hard-liners in each party, meanwhile, appear content simply to demand all or nothing - and take the issue to voters in next year's elections. For them, the issue is seen as an opportunity to retain or seize control of the closely matched chamber - where Republicans hold a slim six-vote majority - in the elections next year.

Many Democrats who support gun control are encouraged by polls that show a majority of Americans supporting stricter gun laws. On the other hand, many remember that the last time Congress passed major gun-control legislation - in 1994 - it ended up costing the seats of several House Democrats who were targeted for defeat by the National Rifle Association, a giver of millions of dollars to congressional campaigns over the years.

