Senate Oks Magazine Ban That Takes X Out Of Px

The Senate gave final congressional approval Tuesday to a ban on sale of adult magazines from stores on U.S. military bases.

The measure by Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, R-Md., to prohibit sales of such magazines as Playboy, Penthouse and Hustler at American bases worldwide, was part of a much larger defense authorization bill that President Clinton has said he will sign into law.

“This is a great victory for women,” said Bartlett, who has argued that the sale of such magazines at military bases demeans women and could compromise “defense readiness.”

No sooner had the Senate passed the measure by a vote of 73-26, though, than Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione vowed a lawsuit to overturn it on First Amendment grounds.

The American Civil Liberties Union called the ban “unconstitutional” and said it also was considering legal action.

Army and Air Force stores, for example, sell more than $12 million worth of adult magazines each year on bases, according to the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. Penthouse is the top seller, among all magazines, with about 19,000 copies monthly.

Bartlett said he proposed the ban, in part, because of complaints from military families that shop at base stores. The ban is supported by such groups as the Christian Coalition and the Family Research Council.

Bartlett scoffed at the notion that magazine publishers would be able to get the ban overturned on free speech grounds, pointing out that military personnel can still buy the magazines at convenience stores or through the mail.