Candidates Meet in Middle on Gun Laws Kilgore Softens Stand On Weapons Limits

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Candidates Meet in Middle on Gun Laws Kilgore Softens Stand On Weapons Limits _____Special Reports_____ By Craig TimbergWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, September 6, 2001; Page B01 RICHMOND, Sept. 5 -- Jerry Kilgore, the Republican nominee for attorney general, backed away today from his calls for repeal of Virginia's one-gun-a-month law, as candidates from both major parties move toward an uneasy truce on gun issues.The shift was the latest of several by Virginia Republicans and Democrats to soften their positions on guns. Political analysts say candidates for statewide office are embracing the status quo to avoid alienating either gun-control advocates in suburban areas and cities, or gun-rights supporters in the state's vast rural areas.Kilgore's comments came in response to questions by reporters after a combative debate sponsored by the Metropolitan Richmond Women's Bar Association. His Democratic rival, A. Donald McEachin, charged in his closing statement that Kilgore supported repealing Virginia's law restricting handgun buyers to one weapon purchase each month. The 1993 law resulted from a bipartisan effort to reduce Virginia's role as a gun supplier to criminals throughout the East Coast.Kilgore, who was secretary of public safety under Gov. George Allen, later told reporters, "It's not a priority of mine to repeal one-gun-a-month," although "it's certainly not my favorite law on the books."He declined repeatedly to say whether he supported repealing the law, as he did in his previous run for attorney general in 1997. In July, the Lynchburg News & Advance newspaper quoted campaign officials saying that Kilgore opposed the one-gun-a-month law.Today's shift resembled a similar move by Allen in his successful run for U.S. Senate last summer, when he blunted his earlier criticism of the federal ban on assault weapons and said he would not vote to repeal that law. The move neutralized a potentially volatile issue, particularly in Northern Virginia, a crucial battleground where gun-control sentiment ran strongest and Allen was eager to win support.Similarly, Democratic nominee for governor Mark R. Warner this year abandoned his earlier backing of some gun-control measures and courted support from the National Rifle Association, though he said he would veto any effort to repeal the limit on handgun purchases. Warner's ticket mates, McEachin and lieutenant governor nominee Timothy M. Kaine, in recent months have emphasized their support for gun rights after focusing on promoting gun safety during their primary campaigns.In his closing statement today, McEachin said, "I believe in the Second Amendment . . . but I do believe in gun safety, and that's something that my opponent doesn't believe in."During this year's legislative session, McEachin, a state delegate from Henrico County, sponsored bills to require that guns be sold with child safety locks and that the state create a ballistics database to make it easier for police to track handguns used in crimes. Neither passed.He also voted against a failed bill to allow gun owners to carry concealed weapons into bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. Kilgore said today he would have voted for that bill.Gun owners "are law-abiding citizens," Kilgore said. "I don't want to infringe on their rights."Robert D. Holsworth, a Virginia Commonwealth University politics professor, said statewide candidates are moderating their comments on guns but relying on independent groups such as the National Rifle Association to target messages to interested voters. The strategy protects candidates from potential backlash."Statewide candidates recognize that this can be a fairly troublesome issue on either side," Holsworth said. "Candidates approach the issue fairly gingerly because they know that the interest groups who are going to be targeting certain voters are going to be far more aggressive."Republican nominee for lieutenant governor Jay Katzen has called for repeal of the one-gun-a-month law. Mark L. Earley, the party's nominee for governor, would veto any such repeal effort, said campaign spokesman David B. Botkins. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A48383-2001Sep5.html