Politics guns and the 2008 election
Gunning for Virginia in '08
Date published: 5/28/2007
RICHMOND--When Gov. Mark Warner signed a bill allowing guns on school property, he never figured it could become a defining litmus test for the 2008 presidential election. But the dispute between Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell and NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg over illegal gun sales in the commonwealth has a hidden national agenda.
Ostensibly, Bloomberg has been sending private investigators, armed with hidden cameras, into Virginia to show that weapons sold illegally by local gun stores are being used for criminal activity in the Big Apple. As mayor, the mega billionaire says he has an obligation, using even highly controversial sting operations, to persuade Virginia officials to crack down on this practice.
But the mayor didn't become Wall Street's savviest investor by believing secret "gotcha raids" are going to increase cross-border cooperation. Predictably, the reaction was the opposite: The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation making these activities to find illegal weapons illegal themselves!
The mayor's spokeswoman said this was unfortunate, but of course Bloomberg was delighted. He is suspected, at least by this author, of planning to use the gun-control issue as a central plank in his run for president as a moderate Republican independent--should Rudy Giuliani fail to win the GOP nomination.
Bloomberg has already put together an impressive coalition of local officials and police chiefs across the country to fight for his beliefs under the rubric of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Among those in Bloomberg's corner are five mayors from Virginia, including Doug Wilder of Richmond.
Many top Democrats believe Al Gore lost to George Bush because the former vice president was viewed as insufficiently "pro-gun" in several Southern states.
Since then, Democrats have urged candidates to be more pro-gun, and this can be seen in the stances of the party's presidential contenders--as they try to court moderately conservative swing voters in key Southern and Midwestern states.
Advisors to Bloomberg are known to feel he has been given an opportunity to be Mr. Gun Control in a three-way, putting the Democratic presidential candidate in a very difficult posture. Presuming a reliably NRA-endorsed Republican to his right, such a Bloomberg posture leaves the Democratic presidential nominee with a possible Hobson's choice on an issue of potentially great importance to urban citizens generally and suburban women particularly.
Date published: 5/28/2007
Most recent reader comments:
Mr. Gun Control
(posted by
AtackDuck
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
Bloomberg conspired to make straw purchases without authority, thus breaking federal laws. "Highly controversial"? How about highly illegal -- multiple felonies. If any regular citizen would have done this, he would be facing 10 years in the fed pen on each count! Yet this Napolean wannabe skates free with a pat on the back from the media. Want to see how easy it is to buy a handgun in VA? Try buying a car using the same purchase criteria. There would be a lot of people walking.
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