Supporters of a D.C. vote bill scrambled yesterday to find a way to get it approved by the House of Representatives without a controversial amendment that would repeal many of the city's gun laws.

The bill had been expected to get a final vote as early as today. But that vote was put on hold after House leaders learned that the influential National Rifle Association was urging its members to use a procedural maneuver to press for gun amendments, according to D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D).