Anti-gun Candidates Exploit Beltway Sniper
Anti-gun politicians are scrambling to benefit from the Beltway sniper.
Just one day after vowing to avoid the gun issue as long as the sniper
is loose, Maryland gubernatorial nominee Kathleen Kennedy Townsend proved
herself a liar by shipping a new ad to Washington TV stations that reviles
her GOP opponent for voting against a ban on so-called "assault
weapons."
"In the 30-second ad, which is scheduled to begin airing today,
the camera pans over an array of militaristic-looking rifles, then cuts to
a man pulling a handgun out of his front pocket," the Washington
Post reported today.
An announcer tells viewers that Republican Robert Ehrlich Jr.
"voted against banning assault weapons and cheap handguns" and
received an F grade from the almighty Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun
Violence.
'Shameful'
"We've got a killer on the loose, we have funerals taking place,
and she and her campaign have decided to put that to use for their
political gain. It's shameful," Ehrlich campaign spokesman Paul
Schurick told the Post.
Townsend's campaign says it rolled out the issue after left-of-center Rep.
Constance Morella, R-Md., began airing in Montgomery County a radio ad
in which anti-gun activist Sarah Brady hails Morella for "stand[ing]
up to the gun lobby." What that has to do with the gubernatorial
campaign is a mystery: Morella is not running against Townsend.
Although the Maryland suburbs' anti-firearms laws have done nothing to
stop the gunman, pundits say the sniper attacks could propel the
foundering Townsend into the governor's mansion in Annapolis.
Maryland's two left-wing Democrat senators, Second Amendment opponents Paul
Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski, have been milking the crisis for
photo opportunities.
Another anti-gun pol, Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., wants the
Federal Trade Commission to investigate and stop the sale of
"military" rifles to Americans.
"There is no legitimate purpose for a military rifle than to make
war," Conyers said Thursday. "There is no reason these rifles
should be marketed to civilians."
And of course, the anti-Second Amendment
organizations are having a feeding frenzy.