In Alaska, candidate makes a stop to buy a new gun
Associated Press | 7-23-02 | MIKE CHAMBERS

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fran Ulmer
took a break from campaigning last week to shop for a new, smaller
handgun.
Ulmer said her .44-caliber revolver was too big to carry around and
she wants something for the campaign trail.

“Obviously, it needs to be a small, light handgun that isn’t so
awkward to carry that I wouldn’t end up carrying it,” she said.

Ulmer, the state’s lieutenant governor, is campaigning to replace two-
term Gov. Tony Knowles and become the first female governor in Alaska
history. She faces political longshots Michael Beasley and Bruce
Lemke in the Aug. 27 primary.

The Republican front-runner is Sen. Frank Murkowski, whose campaign
spokesman dismissed Ulmer’s gun purchase as a campaign stunt.

“I think this is a pure campaign ploy, trying to get her picture in
the paper carrying a gun,” spokesman Dan Saddler said.

In a conservative state where candidates are adept at honing their
anti-gun control messages, Ulmer has gotten into the act. And in May,
she took a handgun training course and was issued her concealed
handgun permit earlier this month.

Ulmer said she doesn’t expect gun control to be an issue in the
campaign, and her stop at a gun shop was not part of the campaign.

She said no threats have been made against her but she expects to
frequently travel alone during the campaign and would like “a little
extra insurance.”