ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 19, 1996 TAG: 9602190141
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: FAIRFAX
SOURCE: Associated Press
When Ernest Lissabet isn't working at his regular job or shooting clay pigeons on a target range, he's often busy taking aim at a much bigger target: the National Rifle Association.
Lissabet, of Fairfax, is founder of the American Firearms Association, a group he formed two years ago as a more sensible alternative to the NRA.
As Lissabet sees it, the AFA is the first national voice for gun owners who aren't bothered by modest legal restraints on weapon sales, and who care more about hunting game than drawing a bead on unfriendly politicians.
``There's got to be an alternative vision of responsible gun ownership for the 21st century,'' said Lissabet, 34, who sees the NRA as too extreme. ``We're trying to reconcile the Second Amendment with common sense.''
Lissabet spends about 20 hours a week seeking support for the AFA. He is also contacting Virginia legislators to let them know the AFA opposes making it easier for residents to carry concealed weapons and take them into bars.
In two years, the group has attracted about 750 dues-paying members in about 40 states. It's a far cry from the NRA's membership of about 3 million, but some think the organization has a real chance to become a political force.
``This group could be in the right place at the right time,'' said Paul Hansen, executive director of the Izaak Walton League, a conservation group. ``It remains to be seen if the AFA organizes itself well enough.''
One key, they say, is covering all the bases.
``They have to compete in all fields,'' including firearm training and safety, said Bob Wallace, legislative director of Handgun Control Inc., which has lobbied for gun sale restrictions. ``There's a huge potential there.''
NRA spokesmen have nothing to say on the record about the AFA, but they say privately that Lissabet's organization is just a small anti-gun group.
Lissabet, meanwhile, says it was the NRA's extreme legislative views and tactics that inspired him to start the AFA. He cites their opposition to the Brady bill, which requires a waiting period for handgun purchases, and to a measure that made it tougher to buy some semiautomatic weapons as examples.
``People got to talking: `What's wrong with the NRA? It seems a little bit crazy these days,''' he said, recalling a conversation among current and former NRA members in 1990 that led to the AFA. ``It dawned on us that there's a market out there. Given a bold stroke, it just might work.''
With about 65 million gun owners in the country, and only 3 million members of the NRA, ``Who speaks for the other 62 million?'' Lissabet asked.
For now, the battle can sometimes be overwhelming, but Lissabet said each letter lauding his efforts and pledging financial help provides him with renewed energy in his drive to put more sense in questions regarding guns.
``We will continue to grow - slowly,'' Lissabet said. ``Hundreds of people have voted with their checkbooks. I have a commitment to them.''
LENGTH: Medium: 57 linesby CNB