Only five Kansas cities had laws mandating a waiting period to purchase handguns. Officials of these cities were airing their opinions as Lawrence city commissioners awaited discussion of Commissioner David Longhurst’s proposal to set a three-day waiting period in Lawrence. The police chief of Junction City said that the law worked well as a deterrent of crimes of passion. However, a spokesman for the National Rifle Assn. said that FBI statistics showed that cities with such regulations actually had higher crime rates.

The Douglas County Fire Investigation Squad was looking into a fire that had destroyed a home at 835 Garfield in East Lawrence. The fire had caused an estimated $18,000 in damages. The resident had not been at home at the time of the fire.

Kansas University’s Clyde W. Tombaugh Observatory was inviting the public for special viewing sessions of Halley’s Comet this month. The sessions were in addition to the regular open houses on Friday night, when the observatory’s telescopes were trained on various celestial sights.