• AP via BusinessWeek, Tuesday, April 24, 2007 10:15 AM

A CBS affiliate in Wichita, Kansas, has declined to run a pro gun control TV spot, claiming the ad is misleading. The effort is part of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's ant-firearm campaign, and his people are questioning the station's objectivity in the wake of the decision. The ad pushes repeal of a law that bars the Feds from sharing some gun data with local law enforcement.

The National Rifle Association says the legislation protects privacy, but Bloomberg argues it hurts law enforcement's chances of tracing illegal weapons and their sellers. The spot was set to run in the districts of both the Democrat and the Republican who lead a House subcommittee considering the measure and was to appear on a CBS station in the Kansas district of Republican Rep. Todd Tiahrt, who wrote it.

Tiahrt says he is working with the Bloomberg administration to get some language changed. The ad broke on Sunday's political gabfests on NBC, ABC and CBS, along with CNN, MSNBC and Fox News Channel. But KWCH in Wichita gave it a pass. Says director of programming Laverne Goering: "This is issue advertising, where the station is responsible for the truth or fairness of the ad, unlike political advertising, where the politicians can pretty much say what they want."

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