The scope of the legislation, sponsored by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., is modest, and the legislation does not do enough to prevent guns from getting into the hands of young people or criminals. However, the measure has strong symbolic value. Passed as an amendment to a broader juvenile crime bill, Lautenberg's proposal represents a watershed political defeat for the National Rifle Association, an organization that had seemed invincible since Republicans took control of Congress in 1994.