Americans United For Safe Streets, a national gun-control group, is airing an ad targeting Republican candidate Keith Fimian’s stance on gun control.
The group reported a $150,000 donation from New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg earlier this month, and this week paid Abar Hutton Media in Alexandria $150,000 for the TV spot, according to federal election reports.
The ad features Omar Samaha, the brother of Reema Samaha, who was killed in the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, speaking about Virginia’s “gun show loophole,” which allows buyers to get guns at gun shows without undergoing criminal background checks.
“I know that closing the loophole won’t bring Reema back,” Omar Samaha says in the spot. “The question is: whose sister is next?”
Fimian’s views on the loophole wouldn’t exactly be out of the mainstream for the state — the Virginia General Assembly has repeatedly defeated bills that would have required background checks for gun-show purchases.
The ad appears to be another attempt to paint Fimian’s views as too extreme for Northern Virginia. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which is backing Democratic incumbent Rep. Gerry Connolly against Fimian, is striking a similar theme. The DCCC will start running a radio ad Friday that takes issue with Fimian’s views on abortion. In the ad, two women discuss Fimian’s opposition to all abortions, even in cases of rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother.
“Keith Fimian is beyond extreme,” one woman says. “I know,” the second says, “Fimian is downright scary.”
View the television ad here.
Listen to the radio spot here.
