From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Commercials by Gun Industry Will Try to Counter Litigation By JAMES DAO WASHINGTON, July 27 -- Asserting that gun manufacturers are in dire jeopardy from a raft of lawsuits by state and local governments, the firearms industry plans to start running commercials during prime-time coverage of the Republican National Convention next week attacking President Clinton and other politicians, mostly Democrats, who support the litigation. "We're being blamed for crime and violence by this administration and big-city mayors whose greedy lawyers are using your tax dollars to sue us," says the narrator in one of the two 60-second spots, which depict a well-dressed man, presumably a lawyer, carefully shredding an American flag. "So now, we need you." The commercials by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the industry's leading trade association, are part of a broader effort by the group to hurt elected officials who have accused gun makers of being legally responsible for gun violence. The group has also created a political action committee and is using its nationwide network of retailers and gun clubs to register voters. "Companies have gone out of business, and will go out of business if this continues," said Robert Delfay, president of the organization that represents 1,800 companies. "This is a critically important election in our history." Mr. Delfay said the commercials would run twice a night on CNN on all four days of the Republican convention. The group plans to do the same during the Democratic convention next month. It also intends to broadcast the spots throughout the fall in closely contested states with large numbers of hunters, including Michigan, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The foundation's advertising campaign, which Mr. Delfay said would cost several million dollars by Election Day, is the latest escalation of the gun-control battle this year. The industry's politically potent ally, the National Rifle Association, which represents 3.8 million gun owners, plans to spend a record $15 million on state and federal elections this fall. The group is expected to endorse Gov. George W. Bush, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. And a loose coalition of gun-control groups has pledged to spend several million dollars helping to elect their friends, most of them Democrats. Handgun Control Inc., one of the coalition's leaders, plans to run commercials during the Republican convention that portray Mr. Bush as a pawn of the rifle association. Last year, Mr. Bush signed legislation that prohibits Texas municipalities from suing gun makers without approval of the State Legislature. Enacting such bills in all 50 states is a top priority of the gun industry and the rifle association. Mr. Bush has suggested that he would sign similar federal legislation. "You can get a feel for my position by looking at what I've done in office," he told reporters in May, "and what I did in office was sign a bill that made it very difficult for local municipalities to sue manufacturers of a legal product." Mr. Bush's presumptive Democratic opponent, Vice President Al Gore, has been a vocal supporter of the litigation, as have Mr. Clinton and Housing Secretary Andrew M. Cuomo, who has threatened to bring lawsuits against the industry on behalf of the public housing authorities. Although the Shooting Sports Foundation does not plan to endorse a candidate, its members are voicing support for Mr. Bush. "Governor Bush appears more willing to respect private citizen's rights of self-defense," said Jeff Reh, general counsel for Beretta U.S.A. "To us, the choice between the candidates is clear." A lawsuit against the nation's largest gun makers has been filed by New York State; 32 cities and counties around the country, including New York City, have also filed suits. Most suits do not seek monetary damages, but are intended to force the manufacturers to build safety devices into their weapons and to take steps to prevent sales to criminals and black-market gunrunners. In March, Smith & Wesson, the nation's largest maker of handguns, agreed to a "code of conduct" outlining many of those safety measures in exchange for being dropped from the litigation. But the company has backed away from some provisions of the agreement, and also has been the target of a boycott organized by the rifle association. The commercials represent the industry's first major foray into electoral politics. About 80 companies have pledged to contribute 1 percent of their gross profits for political and lobbying work, about $10 million a year. Known as the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Fund, the program is also paying for lobbyists, a voter registration drive and a voter education program. Both commercials depict a man stripping the stars and stripes off an American flag, leaving nothing but a frayed white banner. "We were with the patriots who fought for this flag at Gettysburg," the narrator says in one spot. "We were with the heroes who fought for these stars in the Mekong Delta. We are the makers of America's firearms." Mr. Cuomo said of the manufacturers: "They are not on the side of the patriots. They are on the side of the criminals." Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________________________________ T O P I C A The Email You Want. http://www.topica.com/t/16 Newsletters, Tips and Discussions on Your Favorite Topics
