By Michael Romano
Denver Rocky Mountain News Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Tom Tancredo says the killings at Columbine High School have prompted a shift in his personal and political stance on gun control.

A normally reliable vote against any effort to restrict private gun ownership, the self-described Christian conservative said he now supports 24-hour background checks, mandatory child safety locks and a ban on the import of high-capacity ammunition clips.

"This is farther than I would have gone before Columbine -- absolutely," said the Colorado Republican, whose home is about a half-mile from the high school.

But Tancredo expects criticism for backing what critics believe is little more than a weakened version of the much tougher gun-control measures passed in the Senate.

"There will always be people who say this is not enough," Tancredo acknowledged. "It is my judgment that this is appropriate.

"But I know I'm going to get yelled at no matter what I do."

Tancredo said he has been "conflicted" during the past weeks as he tries to balance his political philosophy with the personal toll of Columbine on many of the constituents of his Sixth Congressional District.

"There's been bleeding -- literal and figurative bleeding -- in my district," Tancredo said. "There are wounds that are still healing, hearts that are still broken. I can't ignore that.

I may be more ideologically in synch with those who call for protection of our Second Amendment rights. But I can't ignore the reality of my district and what they have gone through. So I'm trying to do my best to balance that."