Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 14, 1993 TAG: 9308140110
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Democrat Howard Packett, an advertising executive from Salem, backs a proposed five-day waiting period before buying a handgun.
Morgan Griffith, a Republican lawyer from Salem, opposes it.
Their positions are clear enough.
What's not clear is how their ongoing gun debate will play out in a district that encompasses two constituencies increasingly found on opposite sides of the issue - rural residents who tend to resist any regulation of gun ownership, and suburbanites who, polls show, want to restrict guns.
So far, each campaign thinks it's coming out on top.
The gun debate erupted earlier this week when Griffith released his "anti-crime" plan.
The plan called for denying parole to violent offenders and drug dealers, automatic life sentences for people convicted of their third felony involving violence, a willingness to turn prison management over to private firms.
Packett, however, immediately shot back at Griffith for failing "to put forth any proposals to protect our families from the dangers of guns."
Packett then trumpeted his support for a five-day waiting period - a proposal that is the centerpiece of Democrat Mary Sue Terry's gubernatorial campaign.
He accused Griffith of taking a "hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil" approach to guns.
Griffith was delighted to learn Packett's position on guns. Packett, Griffith said, is showing "his true colors."
"He says he's not a liberal, but with his response to my crime package, his true colors have become clear," Griffith said in a statement. "Howard Packett wants to take away Western Virginians' right to own a gun."
That's not quite true; Packett is advocating a waiting period, not a ban.
Nevertheless, guns are an emotional issue with deep cultural significance for many Virginians.
"For hundreds of years, rifles, shotguns and small weapons have been a part of Western Virginia's heritage," Griffith's statement said. "Many firearms have been used for hunting, collecting and the protection of our families."
Griffith vowed to "protect the Second Amendment rights of our citizens."
But the politics of gun control may be changing. Earlier this year, when the General Assembly debated Gov. Douglas Wilder's one-gun-a-month proposal, polls found suburban voters - who are conservative on other issues - embracing gun control as a way to combat urban crime.
The seat Packett and Griffith are fighting for covers both rural sections of eastern Montgomery County but also suburban Southwest Roanoke County and Salem.
Given the diverse nature of the district, Virginia Tech political analyst Bob Denton says it's a "calculated risk" for either candidate to talk about guns, no matter what position they take.
Packett and Griffith may aim more fire at each other about gun ownership.
In questionnaires to the National Rifle Association, Packett said he wanted to restrict the sale and ownership of semiautomatic and automatic weapons, such as the Streetsweeper. Griffith said he opposed such restrictions.
"I was in the Marine Corps and I dealt with these for three years," Packett said.
"I'm trained in these kinds of weapons. I know what they can do. I obviously don't want any of them out on the street."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB