Mayor Bloomberg is crossing state lines – and opening his wallet – in his latest salvo in his war to keep guns off city streets.
Bloomberg has donated $25,000 apiece to the campaigns of six Democratic candidates for the Virginia state Senate who share his strict beliefs on gun control, officials told the Daily News Friday.
The deep-pocketed mayor, who drew the ire of the Virginia attorney general when he ran gun stings there five years ago, will travel to Old Dominion to campaign for the candidates next week, the officials said.
What happens in the Virginia Legislature will directly affect the public safety of New Yorkers, said John Feinblatt, the mayor s Criminal Justice Coordinator.
Virginia has long been a leading source of weapons to the city, annually sending hundreds of crime guns – including the one that killed police officer Russel Timoshenko in 2007 – to New York.
Bloomberg fears the flood of firearms may increase: there are currently 10 bills that have passed Virginia s Republican-controlled General Assembly that would make it harder for law enforcement to track or crack down on gun sales.
One of the bills would repeal the state s current mandate that a person can only buy one gun a month. Another would make it legal to carry a concealed weapon on a school campus, even in light of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting.
The state Senate, controlled by Democrats 22-18, has blocked the passage of those bills – but the party s hold on power is tenuous.
If these six would lose, the laws would sail through, said Feinblatt. A bad situation would get even worse.
Five of the candidates Bloomberg supports are Democratic incumbents: John Miller, Mark Herring, Toddy Puller, Dave Marsden and George Barker. A sixth, Barbara Favola, is running for an open seat.
We re just happy to have the contribution of people who support our values, said Kiel Brunner, Marsden s campaign manager. We re concerned about Virginians safety – and that has a national impact.
Bloomberg was slammed by Virginia s then-attorney general – and now governor – Bob McDonnell for the 2006 stings. That sentiment was echoed at gun stores Friday.
He s an arrogant bastard who shouldn t be meddling, said a manager at A&P Arms in Hampton, Va., who would not give his name. Go home.
jlemire@nydailynews.com
