Friday, October 07, 2005
Kilgore receives gun lobby stamp of approval
The GOP gubernatorial candidate flew into Roanoke for the nod of the National Rifle Association.
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roanoke.com/politics
Declaring that "Tim Kaine should be ashamed" of his record on protecting gun owners' rights, his Republican gubernatorial opponent, Jerry Kilgore, accepted the endorsement of the National Rifle Association on Thursday.
During a fly-in at the Piedmont Aviation terminal in Roanoke, Kilgore was introduced by Wayne LaPierre, a former Roanoker who is now the executive director of the NRA.
In what several longtime observers said was the largest such political assembly at the airport in recent memory, LaPierre spent most of his time attacking Kaine's links to what he called the liberal gun-restriction positions of Bill and Hillary Clinton, and -- even worse, as measured by the catcalls from the raucous crowd -- actress Rosie O'Donnell.
LaPierre declared that "While hunters wear blaze orange to be seen, Tim Kaine wears it to camouflage his record from the voters."
"The choice couldn't be no more clear," between himself and Kaine, Kilgore told the admiring crowd of 50 or more who frequently interrupted his remarks with applause and cheers of "Jerry, Jerry, Jerry."
Growing up on a farm, Kilgore said, he learned that owning a gun was about more than hunting. "It's also about protecting yourself and your family."
"There are few moments in a boy's life to compare to that time when his father gives him his first firearm."
Gun ownership rights are about "trust and responsibility," the candidate said, "trusting Virginians to bear arms and to promote the responsible use of firearms."
Supporter Mickey Mixon said he is not a regular hunter, but that he appreciates Kilgore's "strong support of Second Amendment rights." The endorsement by the NRA's Political Victory Fund "will be a big plus to Jerry's campaign," Mixon said.
Delacey Skinner, press secretary for the Kaine campaign, said the Democratic lieutenant governor "is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, has clearly worked to protect Virginians' right to own a gun, and fought to protect Virginians' right to hunt and fish."
She said Kaine failed the NRA "litmus test" for its endorsement, which involves a pledge to repeal the state's law limiting handgun sales to one per month. "There was no way we were going to get that endorsement," Skinner said, because Kaine has said he would not do that.
"What we saw four years ago was an attack on Mark Warner and Tim Kaine when they were running for office, saying they would take guns away, and four years later, they've not done that," Skinner said. "What they have done is put the state on the right fiscal track, they've invested in public safety, invested in education, and created one of the fastest growing job markets in the country."
The NRA endorsement was not the only one Kilgore snagged Thursday. The Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce political action committee also backed the Republican candidate.
The chamber, called "the most powerful business group in Northern Virginia" by the Washington Post, said Kilgore has "demonstrated stronger, more consistent support for the pro-business policy agenda" of the chamber than his opponents.
The combination of endorsements was an indication of the breadth of Kilgore's appeal across the commonwealth, his staff said.
On Tuesday, the NRA endorsed Bill Bolling, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor and a state senator from Hanover County. Bolling is running against Leslie Byrne, a Democrat from Northern Virginia.
Just a week ago, the NRA -- for the first time in eight years -- endorsed a Democrat running for statewide office. Attorney general candidate and Bath County native Creigh Deeds got the nod from the organization, which claims 90,000 members in Virginia.
Deeds is a state senator and former delegate who is running against Republican Bob McDonnell of Virginia Beach.
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Staff writer Michael Sluss contributed to this report.
For more on campaign 2005,
go to roanoke.com.
