Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 30, 1993 TAG: 9310300166
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WARREN FISKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ROANOKE LENGTH: Medium
Charlton Heston, the actor who has played all three roles, wound down a three-day state tour with Allen with a late afternoon speech to about 50 Republicans at Allen's local campaign headquarters.
Heston, who in recent years has worked for the gun lobby and a variety of conservative candidates nationwide, called Allen's election "critically important to what happens in the rest of the country."
But Democrats said that Heston's appearances buttress their charges that Allen is a tool of the gun lobby. "It kinda flies in the face of what the Allen people are saying about being independent of the NRA," said Tom King, Democratic nominee Mary Sue Terry's campaign consultant.
Heston, who regularly appears in NRA commercials critical of gun control, applauded Allen's opposition to gun control and his plan to abolish parole in Virginia. And he dismissed Terry's proposal to impose a five-day waiting period for handgun purchases as "irrelevant to solving crime."
Heston, 70, said Thursday's slaying of a Virginia Beach woman - the suspect is a convicted armed robber who had been paroled last week - underscores the need for laws to end parole. Vincent Flora, the woman's former boyfriend, was released after serving two years of a six-year sentence.
"I think that incident speaks for itself," Heston said.
Heston said his trip to Virginia came at the behest of Allen and is not officially connected with the NRA, which has contributed more than $60,000 to the Republican's campaign. A spokesman for Allen said the campaign is paying for Heston's travel expenses.
"You shouldn't be surprised that I'm so interested in Virginia," said Heston, a California native. "After all, I was Tom Jefferson" in a 1960s television production.
In addition to the one in Roanoke, Heston helped Allen attract enthusiastic crowds Friday at rallies in Norfolk, Fairfax County, Harrisonburg and Abingdon. The rock-jawed actor avoided mixing with crowds after his speeches, however, always beating a hasty exit off the stage and into a car that whisked him away.
Heston also skipped Allen's first campaign appearance, a 6 a.m. trip to greet workers at Newport News Shipbuilding.
In speeches throughout the day, Allen criticized Terry for accepting a $10,000 contribution from Maryland horse-racing promoter Joseph A. De Francis. Terry also attended a fund-raising reception earlier this month at De Francis' home.
De Francis is among those seeking the right to operate Virginia's first pari-mutuel track. He wants to build a track in New Kent County that would be part of a year-round circuit with his company's existing tracks, Laurel and Pimlico, in Maryland.
Whoever is elected governor next week could replace any or all of the five members of the Virginia Racing Commission. The panel will choose from six competing proposals for the Virginia track.
"I think this, at the minimum, has the appearance of impropriety," Allen said. "She should have politiely refused to attend the fund-raiser and returned the money."
Allen later denied that his acceptance of money from the NRA, which is hotly battling efforts to impose gun-control laws in Virginia, raises the same ethical question about him. "I've always been supported by the NRA," he said. "I've always been opposed to gun control."
Keywords:
POLITICS
Memo: ***CORRECTION***