NIKITA DEMOSTHENES REPORTS that the gun issue is being used against Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, based on Maryland’s failure to enforce existing gun laws:

Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. ripped his gubernatorial rival yesterday for Maryland’s failure to check the criminal backgrounds of hundreds of people applying to buy guns, taking the offensive on an issue that has dogged his campaign for weeks.

Ehrlich’s campaign also unveiled a sharply negative television ad that criticizes Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (D) and her broader record on crime and gun control. Staff members said the ad would begin airing today in Baltimore and in the Washington region tomorrow.

Ehrlich said it was irresponsible for Townsend to preach about gun control when her administration has failed to prevent criminals from buying firearms because of flubbed background checks.

Last week, state and federal authorities confirmed that state archivists notified the FBI in March that it would no longer perform the required background checks because budget cuts had left them shorthanded.

Here’s a link to the Washington Post article Demosthenes quotes.