Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 8, 1993 TAG: 9306080053
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ROB EURE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Terry's gun-control position, along with her promise to enforce the state's new one-a-month handgun purchase limit, places her in sharp contrast to her Republican opponent, George F. Allen.
Allen, who has won the endorsement of - and more than $25,000 in contributions from - the National Rifle Association, opposed the gun purchase limit, but has said he will not work to repeal it. He has said he favors no further restrictions on gun purchases, however.
"George has always said waiting periods are nothing more than a gimmick," Allen press secretary Ken Stroube said Monday.
Terry campaign advisers apparently believe that gun control can be a key issue in the campaign. Virginia has long been seen as a stronghold of gun owner rights, but that changed last winter with the bipartisan passage of Gov. Douglas Wilder's one-gun-a-month proposal.
Both Democratic and Republican polls show Virginians favor the law, 3-1.
Terry states her gun-control position in an issues booklet her campaign released Monday. Aides to the Democrat also unveiled four television commercials Monday that deal with crime, jobs, cutting government waste and her seven-year record as attorney general.
Terry's booklet says she supports the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms. "Given the rapid increase in the use of handguns in the commission of crimes, she believes there are reasonable steps that can and should be taken to keep guns out of the hands of criminals - steps that won't infringe on the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens," it adds.
Terry also says she will propose a new law to require that handguns seized in crimes be destroyed unless they can be used by police. Currently they are resold.
The waiting period, dubbed the "Brady Bill" in Congress where it has been stalled for years, is expected to come up again for a vote later this year with President Clinton's backing.
The commercials Terry released Monday will run for the next month on Cable News Network, in what campaign consultant Tom King called a "limited buy."
What the commercials do not mention are the things that Republicans, in their weekend convention, promised to impress on voters. They do not mention Terry's party, much less paint any affiliation with the unpopular Clinton. They also do not mention Wilder or U.S. Sen. Charles Robb, Democrats whose rivalry and unpopularity Republicans promised to stress between now and November.
"This campaign is about the future," King said at a news conference unveiling the ads. He said Terry will run "an individual campaign - Virginians traditionally make decisions based on individuals," and that he hopes the commercials will set an issue-oriented tone.
Each ad includes a toll-free number, 1-800-TERRY93 for viewers to call to request the candidate's 40-page booklet, "The Mary Sue Terry Agenda for Action." Republicans set up an 800 line last winter to solicit complaints about Terry.
"Theirs is about dirt and ours is about issues," King said.
by CNB