Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, May 15, 1993 TAG: 9305150179
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Greg Schneider
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short
Never mind all that ugliness about restricting Virginians from buying more than one handgun a month; on Friday the National Rifle Association sent the governor a fancy certificate of membership, citing his "Loyal Commitment To The Ideals Embodied In The Second Amendment Of The U.S. Constitution of America."
That's not exactly what the NRA was saying back in February. Back then Wilder was portrayed as a gun-confiscating menace to constitutional freedoms. But mailing lists apparently hold no grudges, and "Mr. L. Douglas Wilder, Gov. Of Va." has gotten onto one.
"He may take it as a joke, or he may take it as an unmistakable sign that the NRA is active in his state," said group spokesman Bill McIntyre.
As if Wilder - who managed to win the gun-a-month battle in the face of a $500,000 NRA advertising blitz - needed reminding.
What probably happened, McIntyre said, is that a wry NRA loyalist nominated the governor for membership. "Evidently there's at least one NRA member in Virginia who believes that the new Doug Wilder should be more like the old Wilder, who stood up for the civil rights of Virginians," he said.
If Wilder covets NRA membership, he'd better send his $25 in soon. They're offering him a "prestigious NRA black and gold braid shooter's cap." Free.
"We need you," the membership letter tells the governor, "and you need us to keep fighting for you."
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.