hree months after the shootings at a Colorado high school led state legislators around the country to demand tighter gun laws, little has changed.
Only a few states - most notably, California - put more controls on guns. Most states did nothing. Some even eased gun restrictions.
Any shift toward gun control has been ''the smallest of waves, barely noticeable on the legislative shore,'' said Larry Sabato, head of the Center for Governmental Studies at the University of Virginia. ''Compared to the coverage that would have suggested a tidal wave, it's been a tiny ripple.''
Gun control filled legislative agendas before the massacre at Colombine High School in Littleton, Colo., in which two students killed 13 people and themselves. After that, state governments paid more attention to bills on school safety, concealed weapons, safe gun storage, and lawsuits against the gun industry.
Some states did take action:
California. The Legislature restricted gun purchases to one a month. It also tightened a 10-year-old ban on assault weapons by closing a loophole that enabled manufacturers to get around the law by renaming their weapons. Democratic Governor Gray Davis plans to sign both on Monday.
Illinois. Now gun owners must lock weapons away from anyone under 14, and school officials must alert police if students bring firearms to school. Penalties for crimes committed with guns are also stiffer.
In some cases, the Columbine shootings have silenced gun debate.
In Colorado, lawmakers withdrew proposals that would have made it easier to get permits for concealed weapons and would have outlawed ''straw purchases'' in which a person buys a gun for someone else.
Tennessee legislators set aside bills that would have let college faculty members arm themselves on campus, dropped background checks for those who already hold permits for concealed weapons, and allowed handguns on school grounds, in parks and where alcohol is sold.
Some states took actions favoring gun rights.
Nevada decided to allow concealed weapons in public buildings, though not in schools or airports.
Louisiana restricted product-liability lawsuits against gunmakers. Maine rejected a bill requiring parents to lock guns from children under 16.
In Texas, lawmakers killed a bill requiring background checks for guns bought at gun shows.
Also, Governor George W. Bush signed a law barring Texas cities from suing gunmakers.
