WASHINGTON, May 20 (UPI) -- The Senate passed, by a vote of 73-25, a final version of its Juvenile Crime Bill on a day when Vice President Al Gore had to break a tie on an amendment to the bill and news of a school shooting in Georgia drew additional attention to actions on Capitol Hill. The bill, which now heads to a conference committee of House and Senate members, contains measures intended to reduce youth crime and violence and to help schools and communities cope with its effects. The past week saw the bill become a flashpoint for gun control issues, which were only part of its scope. Gore's tie-breaking vote allowed the Senate to pass a Democratic amendment that closed several of what the Clinton administration called gun-control loopholes in the overall bill. Gore called the victory of that Democratic measure ``a turning point for our country'' in the wake of the school shooting in Colorado and the one this morning in Georgia that wounded at least six people. The passage of two amendments this afternoon allowed the Senate to hit its home stretch on the bill. Sen John Ashcroft, R-Mo., had proposed a measure that would permit mentally disabled students to be expelled if they are caught with weapons in school. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, protested, saying Ashcroft's proposal would do nothing extra for the disabled students once they were disciplined for gun violations. Harkin offered his own amendment that added such language. But Harkin did not filibuster the Republican amendment as expected, and both measures were passed, Ashcroft's by 74-25 and Harkin's by voice vote. As the bill heads to a conference committee, Sen. Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he hopes the bill will end up on President Clinton's desk by July. The Democratic gun control amendment approved with Gore's vote was offered by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., in response to Republican measures that had changed the GOP's stance on several key firearms issues. Senate Republicans last week passed a gun control measure that left several loopholes, angering President Clinton and Attorney General Janet Reno and drawing protests from the public. By Friday, the Republicans had softened their stance and were offering an about-face amendment, sponsored by Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Larry Craig of Idaho. The Hatch-Craig measure passed 48-47 on Friday, but Democrats still said it had too many loopholes, including one that would allow certain types of vendors to operate at gun shows without doing background checks on their customers. Democrats also bristled at language in Hatch-Craig that essentially allowed people to redeem their guns at pawn shops without going through background checks, meaning a criminal could pawn a gun and buy it back without being detected. Before Gore's vote allowed the Lautenberg amendment to pass today, the Senate also approved, 79-21, a measure by Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., that closed the gun show and pawn shop loopholes. Lautenberg's amendment went further, addressing many of the Clinton administration's complaints with the original Republican compromise. For instance, now gun sales at flea markets would be subject to background checks, and all checks would have a three-day waiting period. The Republican measures had called for 24-hour waiting periods for gun show transactions, meaning that even if a background check had not been completed, the buyer could get a gun. The Democratic measure would not grant immunity to people who sold guns to felons, or those who intend to use the guns for violent felonies or major drug offenses. Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott said his message remains simple in light of this morning's Democratic victory and the passage of the overall bill. He wants common sense applied to gun control issues, he said, and he expects the Clinton administration to enforce whatever laws are enacted in the bill. What is equally important, Lott said, is that communities and lawmakers keep looking for ``innovative things in regards to school safety.'' Gore, who as vice president also serves as president of the Senate, has also cast tie-breaking votes on the national ethanol program and economic reform. In other action on amendments today, the Senate voted 50-48 to reject a Democratic proposal to extend the Clinton administration's community policing grant program. It also rejected an amendment that would have created a commission to further study violence in the entertainment industry's products. In a vote unrelated to the youth crime bill, the Senate approved a $15 billion supplemental spending bill that included temporary funding for U.S. actions as part of the NATO campaign against Yugoslavia. -=-=- 