2 Sides Hammer Ehrlich On Guns
Middle Path Leaves Each Bloc Angry

By Fredrick Kunkle and Matthew Mosk
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, May 30, 2006

The Maryland governor's race has hardly begun, and Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. is under fire for his stance on guns -- from both sides.

In the past few weeks, Democrats and advocates of stricter gun laws have portrayed the Republican as a friend to gun owners, dating to his 1996 vote as a congressman to repeal the federal ban on assault weapons. Two years ago, they say, Ehrlich worked behind the scenes to block a similar assault weapons bill in the Maryland General Assembly.

But plenty of gun owners say that although Ehrlich's almost four years as governor have represented a welcome breather from the kind of aggressive gun control initiatives enacted by a succession of Democratic governors, they have been disappointed because he has not done more for them.

Under Ehrlich, no major changes have been made to gun laws, and the number of concealed-carry permits issued each year by the Maryland State Police has remained about the same. His one major initiative -- Project Exile, which would have emphasized enforcement of laws and harsher penalties for violators -- died in the legislature.

Ehrlich's strategy, political analysts say, has been to maneuver down the middle on an issue that provokes strong views among Maryland voters, to avoid inflaming the ardent advocates on both sides of the debate. It is an approach he has taken on a number of combustible issues, including stem cell research, abortion and rights for domestic partners.

"He's played it as best he can," said Tom Schaller, political science professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, who is supporting Baltimore Mayor O'Malley (D) for governor. "He's ultimately trying to go to the middle on gun control and a host of other social issues, figuring that he's the only Republican game in town, so conservative voters will have no other place to go."

The governor's office calls Ehrlich's approach "prudent."

"It's a sensitive issue, and the governor believes a thoughtful approach is in Maryland's best interest," said Henry Fawell, Ehrlich's spokesman.

The path down the middle on gun issues, though, has left him politically vulnerable. Many voters in the suburbs of Washington strongly support gun control. Meanwhile, rural voters, particularly in Western Maryland, say several state laws infringe on their Second Amendment right to bear arms.

Among the gun rights advocates, some say Ehrlich should have worked harder to ease restrictions. They say, for example, that the governor could make it easier to obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun -- a goal of gun owners that gained attention recently when an association of gun clubs invited the state police superintendent to speak to it about the process.

Others are angry because, they say, Ehrlich did nothing to prevent the state Environment Department from helping to close a Western Maryland shooting range because of noise levels.

"There is a widespread perception that he hasn't delivered for his base," gun rights advocate James M. Purtilo said. Purtilo, of Silver Spring, is a computer science professor at the University of Maryland who publishes a gun rights blog.

"No one expected them to do miracles in Annapolis," Purtilo said. "But on administrative stuff that could have been done, they won't even listen to the gun-owning community. The heads of gun clubs and other groups have had poor access."

On the other side are those who believe Ehrlich has done too much for gun owners.

Two weeks ago, Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) held a news conference outside the courthouse where the sniper trial was underway to criticize Ehrlich's position on gun laws. Sen. Robert J. Garagiola (D-Montgomery), who sponsored an assault weapons ban in the 2004 General Assembly session, said Ehrlich worked behind the scenes to kill the measure.

Duncan, who is running for governor, also aired a television ad saying Ehrlich "thinks we need more assault weapons on the street" -- a remark the governor's campaign called defamatory.

Michael Barnes, president of the Brady Campaign and Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said that as a congressman, Ehrlich voted in favor of the federal assault weapons ban's repeal in 1996. Ehrlich also voted in 1999 against closing the gun show loophole, which would have required firearms sellers at gun shows to conduct background checks of prospective buyers.

Early in his term, Ehrlich's state police superintendent proposed scaling back money for a ballistic fingerprinting program. "The goal was to ship those funds to more productive areas of crime prevention activity," said Joseph Getty, who heads the governor's policy team. But that money has remained in the budget.

"Our crime and justice focus has been more around witness intimidation and tracking and punishing sex offenders," Getty said.

John H. Josselyn, legislative vice president of the Associated Gun Clubs of Baltimore Inc., which represents 27 clubs with about 4,500 members, said he has not made up his mind about Ehrlich's gun policies. Josselyn said he hopes to make it easier for law-abiding Marylanders to obtain concealed-carry permits, and the administration has sounded sympathetic.

Last month, the group hosted Ehrlich's state police superintendent, Thomas E. "Tim" Hutchins, in answering questions about how to obtain such permits. About 175 people attended.

Because so much discretion is involved in issuing a permit, Josselyn said, state police have abused their power and made it progressively more difficult for gun owners to obtain one. "They even ask permission to speak to your educational institutions," he said. "Most people don't apply because they believe they will not get the permit, and the fees are nonrefundable."

Yet criminals do not fuss with a gun permit, putting law-abiding gun owners at a disadvantage, Josselyn said. "You have the God-given right of self-defense. You are not permitted the means to exercise that right effectively."

State police spokesman Greg Shipley said Josselyn was issued a concealed-carry permit in February 2005 that expires in August 2007.

Purtilo saw Josselyn's seminar as a "sham" to round up support for the governor, who, some say, has otherwise let the gun rights community down.

"Bob is a personable guy," Purtilo said of the governor. "His staff is a bunch of knee breakers. Their phrase is, 'Where are you going to go?' They believe they have our support no matter what they do."