Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 19, 1993 TAG: 9309190046
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ROB EURE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: REMINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Although a hunter himself, Allen can't hold a shotgun - or much of anything heavier than a glass of lemonade - in his right hand. His arm is in a sling, diagnosed with politician's elbow.
"It's from shaking hands," Allen said. "It's driving me crazy. But the doctor said the only thing I can do is give it rest."
So Allen kept the hand he usually thrusts at voters in reserve and went to work on his left elbow.
His awkward greetings will make little difference to the 100 or so who turned out for the NRA-sponsored event.
Among Virginians identified with an issue, few have more to vote on in this election than gun-rights advocates. Democrat Mary Sue Terry has aroused their ire by calling for a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases.
"You'd think from watching her ads that the NRA was in favor of criminals," said John Satterwhite, a champion sport shooter who put on a show for the crowd and then made a pitch for Allen. "That's the biggest bull I've ever heard in my life."
Chris Doss, a 35-year-old Alexandria resident and native of Patrick County (Terry's home), said, "It's a mistake to think everybody here is just against gun control. I was raised in gun-nut country, but I've never fired a gun and never owned one. To me, the issue is crime. And it's so typical of Terry to make guns the issue when she hasn't done anything on crime in her entire career."
But most in the crowd were clearly opposed to gun control and cheered when Allen called the waiting period a "placebo and gimmick."
Polls this year show 80 percent of Virginians support a waiting period for handgun purchases. But the legendary power of the NRA comes from fervent defenders of gun rights, and the event in Remington was a reminder that Virginia still has plenty of them.
Terry seemed to recognize that last week, when in the eastern half of the state she began airing a television ad citing Allen's ties to the NRA but in Roanoke used an ad criticizing Allen for opposing reduction of the drinking age to 18 a decade ago.
Allen, whose campaign had received $40,000 from the NRA and other gun-owner groups through June, denies that the group is influencing his campaign.
He said his recent rise in the polls to essential parity with the once heavily favored Terry is based on "a number of defining issues. Crime, law enforcement and guns. Gun-control polling shows people are frustrated by the violent crime rate. If you give them a choice of longer sentences for violent criminals or a five-day waiting period, they pick longer sentences."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB