Sen. Ferguson says, "If anybody says they have a better voting record on the Second Amendment than me, then they're an extremist."

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: Townsend Impresses With 'Sizzle' : Washington Post Staff Writer, Lori Montgomery, September 14, 2000; Page M12, Section: PG Extra : . : . : . : <B<Gun Lobby Shoots at Its Own</B> : Maryland gun groups have been doing a slow burn over the trouncing they took in Annapolis last session. But instead of targeting the liberal, anti-gun activists who helped pass Gov. Parris N. Glendening's new gun lock law, the gun groups are taking aim at conservative lawmakers who are usually their friends. : Over the last few weeks, officials with the Maryland Rifle and Pistol Association have been calling hunters in House Speaker Casper R. Taylor Jr.'s western Maryland district, alerting them that Taylor helped pass the law, the first in the nation requiring built-in locks on new guns beginning in 2003. : Taylor--hardly a card-carrying member of Handgun Control Inc.--has been invited to explain himself before a meeting of gun advocates later this fall. : Meanwhile, Sen. Timothy R. Ferguson, a conservative Republican from Carroll County and defender of gun ownership, has been the focus of a blistering attack by Tripwire, a newsletter for Maryland "gun rights activists." : Last month, the newsletter reported that gun owners were holding a "Ferguson Filibuster Flip-flop" advertising competition. The contest offers $50 for the best slogans attacking Ferguson for "cutting his own deal with leadership in secret" to preempt a long-planned filibuster on the gun lock bill. : The gun owners are particularly incensed about a comment they say Ferguson made on the Senate floor: "In a perfect world, there would be no such thing as a gun." : "Ferguson claims to be a defender of liberty. But his walk doesn't match his talk," said Jim Norris, of Marylanders for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. : Among the winning entries: a button that reads, "Tim's My Friend . . . No Enemies Required," and a bumper sticker that says, simply, "Ferguson Is Toast." : For his part, Ferguson said he retains the support of the National Rifle Association and many other gun activists because his work pared down Glendening's initial proposal, which would have required "smart guns" be sold in Maryland. : "Bottom line: I have an impeccable voting record on the Second Amendment," he said. "If anybody says they have a better voting record on the Second Amendment than me, then they're an extremist."

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