Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 13, 1993 TAG: 9301130389
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARGARET EDDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
GUN-CONTROL LEGISLATION TO DEPEND ON ODD ALLIES
GOV. WILDER'S proposed laws to increase controls on handguns are part of a package of anti-crime legislation to be considered by the General Assembly, which convenes today.
Prospects for major gun-control legislation to pass the General Assembly loom brighter than ever this year. But advocates have few illusions that victory will be either easy or certain.
The National Rifle Association is mobilizing its 80,000 Virginia members against a bipartisan gun initiative spearheaded by Democratic Gov. Douglas Wilder and Republican U.S. Attorney Richard Cullen.
Wilder and Cullen have begun what promises to be an unrelenting drumbeat of endorsements and promotions for the centerpiece of their package - a one-per-month limitation on handgun sales.
Last week, advocates released a poll of 815 Virginians showing that 83 percent favor a limit on handgun purchases, and 88 percent of those think the limit should be one per month.
The NRA has been less visible in outlining its legislative strategy. But history and tradition are on the organization's side. Last year, for example, a proposal to limit gun purchases to two per month was handily defeated.
Central to Wilder's success almost certainly will be whether he can forge an alliance with suburban Republican lawmakers.
Sen. Ken Stolle and Del. Robert F. McDonnell, both Virginia Beach Republicans, and several other GOP lawmakers are among those promoting a series of bills to tighten penalties for gun abuse and block gun purchases in Virginia by felons and non-Virginians.
Wilder and McDonnell say those bills and the package developed by Wilder's task force on violent crime do not conflict - suggesting a bipartisan effort may be possible.
If the legislative push is to succeed, Wilder said recently, lawmakers must be convinced that the bills are part of an "anti-crime package," not just a "gun-control package."
To that end, Wilder's task force also is introducing a series of bills to give courts a stronger hand in dealing with criminal offenders.
One perennial gun-control proposal - imposing a waiting period before a handgun can be purchased - is expected to face even tougher opposition than the gun-a-month bill. Wilder's task force endorsed the waiting period but decided not to make it a priority.
In a survey of lawmakers on key committees dealing with gun bills, opposition to a waiting period was considerably stronger than for a gun-purchase limit.
Also facing the legislature will be bills to toughen penalties for violent crime, to give state police a stronger hand in gun-related record keeping, and to tighten restrictions on issuing driver's licenses.
The ease with which non-residents can acquire licenses contributes to the escalation of gun-running out of Virginia, according to law enforcement officials.
\ WHOM TO CALL\ To offer an opinion on gun-control legislation, call your delegate or state senator or one of these organizations:\ \ FOR GUN CONTROL:
Virginians Against Handgun Violence, The Ironfronts, Suite 212, 1011 E. Main St., Richmond 23219; 1-(804)-643-7149.
Handgun Control Inc., 1225 Eye St. N.W., Suite 1100, Washington, D.C. 20005; 1-(202)-898-0792.
\ AGAINST GUN CONTROL:
The National Rifle Association, 1600 Rhode Island Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036; 1-(202)-828-6000.