Freshmen In Nra’s Good Graces

Washington’s first-term Republicans, who have received almost $70,000 in contributions over the past three years from the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun groups, joined a House majority Friday in voting to repeal the federal ban on assault weapons.

Supporters of the ban said the vote represented “payback time” to the NRA from the Republican freshmen and others who had received strong support from the gun lobby.

“They just owed the NRA,” said Paul Berendt, chairman of the Washington state Democratic Party. “People overwhelmingly support this ban. This vote was Freshmen/ about politics, not philosophy.”

Republicans bristled at suggestions they were beholden to the NRA or anyone else and pointed out the measure to repeal the ban received bipartisan support.

“It’s about a constitutional right, not money,” said Rep. Randy Tate, one of the state’s Republican freshmen.

Among the state’s Republican freshmen, Tate was the No. 1 beneficiary of gun-group money - more than $24,000, including $19,200 during the 1993-94 election cycle and $5,000 during the current cycle.

Another of the freshmen, Rep. Richard “Doc” Hastings, said his vote to repeal the ban was consistent with campaign promises he made not just in 1994, but also when he first ran in 1992 and lost.

Hastings was the second-largest recipient of pro-gun money, receiving a total of more than $19,400, including $18,400 leading up to the 1994 election.

Among the largest beneficiaries of pro-gun PAC money was Rep. George Nethercutt, who got about $80,000 in assistance. Most of that came in the form of independent expenditures during his 1994 upset of House Speaker Thomas Foley.

The measure repealing the ban passed the House Friday, 239-173, but faces an uncertain future in the Senate where Sen. Dianne Feinstein has promised the “mother of all filibusters.” President Clinton has indicated he would veto a repeal of the assault weapon ban.

All six of the state’s Republican freshmen supported the move to repeal the ban, along with the state’s other Republican House member, Jennifer Dunn. The state’s two Democratic members, Norm Dicks and Jim McDermott, voted to maintain the ban.

House GOP leaders initially said the repeal would be considered early last year and had even appointed a special task force to look at gun issues. The Senate had also been expected to act.

But the bombing of the federal office building in Oklahoma City upset that timetable and put Republicans on the defensive.

In addition to the Foley-Nethercutt race, gun control emerged as a key issue in two other Washington state congressional races in 1994: Tate’s race against incumbent Democrat Mike Kreidler and Hastings’ race against incumbent Democrat Jay Inslee.