May 20 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama would sign legislation to curb credit-card fees even if it contains a provision allowing visitors to U.S. national parks to carry guns, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said today.

The Senate passed the credit-card measure yesterday. The House of Representatives has begun debating the measure and is scheduled to hold a final vote today.

Obama’s acceptance of the gun amendment removes an obstacle to the credit-card legislation becoming law.

Senator Tom Coburn, an Oklahoma Republican who offered the gun amendment, said the provision is necessary to reduce crime in the parks. The amendment, approved on a 67-29 vote on May 12, would prohibit the federal government from barring weapons in national parks where they are allowed by state law.

The Obama administration said last month it wouldn’t challenge a court ruling reinstating 26-year-old restrictions on guns in the parks. The ruling by a U.S. District judge blocked a Bush administration order allowing firearms that was backed by the National Rifle Association.

The gun amendment was attached to credit-card legislation sought by Obama that would require lenders to apply payments to balances with the highest interest rates first. It would also prohibit increasing a consumer’s rate on existing balances based on late payments to another lender, a practice known as “universal default.”

The House, which approved a version of the credit-card bill on April 30 by a 357-70 vote, later today will hold separate votes on the credit-card measure and the gun amendment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Roger Runningen in Washington rrunningen@bloomberg.net; Jeff Plungis in Washington at jplungis@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: May 20, 2009 10:55 EDT