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."