Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 14, 1993 TAG: 9301140330
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY WARREN FISKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Long
STOP THE KILLING, WILDER PLEADS
Virginia legislators must "stop the killing now," by standing up to the National Rifle Association and passing a series of gun-control measures, Gov. Douglas Wilder asserted Wednesday night."We have a responsibility to protect public safety and to place reasonable limits on the ownership of certain weapons," Wilder said during a 47-minute State of Commonwealth address that keynoted the opening of the 1993 General Assembly.
"It is reasonable to say that an individual cannot purchase a nuclear weapon, and it is equally reasonable to say that no man or woman should be entitled to buy as many handguns as he or she can afford," the governor said.
"We cannot shrink from our rightful role and duties. It is time we acted for the good of Virginia's children, and for our own lives and liberties."
Wilder used the speech to outline several new proposals and make his best case for some that he had unveiled earlier. It showed off an unusually conciliatory Wilder, as he recalled some past disagreements with lawmakers but stressed his respect for their judgment and praised what he said they had accomplished when they cooperated.
"I wish this was the speech he Courts panel to get gun bills. B4 had given three years ago" when his term began, said Sen. Joseph Gartlan Jr., D-Fairfax County, perhaps Wilder's toughest critic in the assembly. "He's a colorful mover of the spirit when he wants to be. I hope a lot of what happened in the last three years' experience will be water over the dam."
"I've always been that way," Wilder said later when asked about his muted tone. "Perception is the biggest thing. We didn't get this far other than by doing these things together. I want us to use this last year to do more good things for Virginia, and I think we can."
Wilder strongly endorsed legislation to limit Virginians to one handgun purchase a month and end the state's "dubious distinction of being a haven for gunrunners" from New York and Washington.
He dramatically underscored the case for gun reforms by inviting to his speech the family of Ishram Draughn III, a Richmond youth who was fatally shot Saturday less than a mile from the Capitol.
"One year from today, will you be able to tell the family of Ishram Draughn that you did something to stop adolescent arguments from becoming the final chapters in hope-filled lives?" he asked legislators.
Wilder also asked lawmakers to pass ethics reforms for themselves and to approve a new job-training program for welfare recipients.
He said he wants to establish a trust fund pooling all federal, state and local funds to welfare programs such as Aid to Dependent Children, food stamps and Medicaid. Some of the proceeds would be used to provide job training to recipients.
Money drained from the trust fund would be replenished by taxes paid by those who participate in the program. Participants would have to agree to keep their children in school, "maintain current immunization schedules and do their best to provide a livable environment for their children," Wilder said.
The proposal is similar to one advanced last year by an anti-poverty commission headed by Lt. Gov. Don Beyer. Wilder said it would require no additional spending, but that he would seek President-elect Clinton's help in getting federal permission to redirect existing federal aid.
The ethics reforms Wilder backed put a cap on contributions to legislators. State senators could accept donations of no more than $2,000; contributions to delegates would be limited to $1,000. In addition, the state Board of Elections would be empowered to do random audits of campaign finance reports, and lobbyists would be required to make more detailed disclosures.
"The public rightly demands a higher standard from elected officials today, and we have a duty to perform at that higher standard," said Wilder, who has refused to release detailed records of $1 million raised for his inauguration in 1990.
Wilder spent much of the speech lauding his own record. He noted that Virginia, unlike many other states, has a sound credit rating and has not had to raise taxes during difficult economic times.
Wilder made it clear that gun-control legislation will be his main emphasis. "Our goal is not to keep law-abiding citizens from owning guns. . . . I am a gun owner myself," he said. "But we simply must curtail the spread of weapons, and must stop handguns from becoming the currency of the drug trade."
In addition to the handgun-a-month bill, Wilder called for passage of legislation that would:
Require firearms dealers to report the number of weapons sold at each transaction.
Allow police to maintain records of gun sales for 12 months. Currently, police cannot keep the records for more than 30 days.
The National Rifle Association is vigorously opposing the gun-control proposals and this week launched an expensive radio and newspaper advertising campaign against them.
"These are common-sense measures that a majority of Virginia gun owners will support if they are given correct information," Wilder said.
Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor, ended by applauding the growing roll of blacks and women in the legislature.
"These seats were once reserved for landed gentry - and I do mean gentry, because women were not allowed," he said. "And a freeholder you had to be, and the law was a respecter of color - one color, that is. Ordinary people of ordinary means were not welcome.
"These changes have served us well."
\ CAPITOL REACTION TO WILDER'S SPEECH\ \ Sen. Mark Earley, R-Chesapeake: "I think of the four issues he highlighted\ [ethics, health care, welfare reform, gun control] . . . fighting violent crime\ might be an area where we can find some common ground."\ \ Del. Roscoe Reynolds, D-Martinsville: "It's hard for me to see what he's talking about [on guns] will do what he's talking about. But the mood of the General Assembly is pretty much in method of trying to do something even if it's wrong. If someone had a theory that rye bread would cut down on violence, then I wouldn't be surprised if the General Assembly adopted legislation forcing everyone to eat rye bread."\ \ Attorney General Mary Sue Terry: "I thought it was really a very fine speech. I thought he was very well received, and interrupted as many times by applause as any speech by a governor I've heard in a long time. . . . I'm not going to have a high profile over here . . . simply because I don't want to have some good ideas not get a fair hearing because people think it's gubernatorial politics."\ \ Del. Lewis Parker, D-South Hill: "Personally, I don't feel [limiting gun purchases to one per month] is the answer. I don't know what the answer is. But then I sat here and thought about myself and said, `Would I put myself in the place of a law enforcement officer who deals with it every day?' and it's a tough call.\ \ Robley S. Jones, Virginia Education Association: "Unless there are some drastic changes [in the budget], it's going to be hard to see his legacy as a positive one for education."