NRA wading into Va. governor’s race with $500K ad campaign against McAuliffe
Source: Washington Post
The National Rifle Association is wading into the Virginia governor’s race with a six-figure ad campaign, potentially reviving a debate over gun issues that has been mostly dormant in the contest.
Beginning Monday, the group will begin airing $500,000 worth of statewide television and online ads hitting Democrat Terry McAuliffe for his firearms stances, according to NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam. The campaign is designed to benefit Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II (R), a longtime gun rights advocate who has lagged behind McAuliffe on the financial front and can use the help on the airwaves.
“Terry McAuliffe has come out and basically stated his support for every gun control scheme imaginable,” Arulanandam said. “And if Terry has his way, the burden of law in Virginia will be on law-abiding gun owners and not on criminals. That’s a wrong-headed approach. Virginia needs leaders who are going to be tough on crime and tough on criminals.”
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/nra-wading-into-va-governors-race-with-500k-ad-campaign-against-mcauliffe/2013/09/27/6269acd6-2781-11e3-ad0d-b7c8d2a594b9_story.html
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While I'm not so sure about the practicality of "smart gun" tech, I really DO like the rest of it, sensible and focused on the human element and not on the inanimate gun.
After climbing relentlessly for three decades, crime rates started to fall in the 1990s. Nonetheless, the public remains deeply concerned about the prevalence of gun violence, especially among juveniles, and Americans still avoid public spaces like downtown retail areas, parks, and even sports facilities.
We need to keep policing "smart" and community-friendly, prohibiting unjust and counterproductive tactics such as racial profiling; focus on preventing as well as punishing crime; pay attention to what happens to inmates and their families after sentencing; use mandatory testing and treatment to break the cycle of drugs and crime; and enforce and strengthen laws against unsafe or illegal guns. Moreover, we need a renewed commitment to equal justice for all, and we must reject a false choice between justice and safety.
Technology can help in many areas: giving police more information on criminal suspects so they do not rely on slipshod, random stop-and-search methods; allowing lower-cost supervision of people on probation or parole; and making it possible to disable and/or trace guns used by unauthorized persons.
Above all, we need to remember that public safety is the ultimate goal of crime policy. Until Americans feel safe enough to walk their neighborhood streets, enjoy public spaces, and send their children to school without fear of violence, we have not achieved public safety.
Goals for 2010
Reduce violent crime rates another 25 percent.
Cut the rate of repeat offenses in half.
Develop and require "smart gun" technology to prevent use of firearms by unauthorized persons and implement sensible gun control measures.
Ban racial profiling by police but encourage criminal targeting through better information on actual suspects.
Require in-prison and post-prison drug testing and treatment of all drug offenders.
http://www.ontheissues.org/governor/Terry_McAuliffe_Gun_Control.htm
How creative...