Gun Control Not Yet Presidential Campaign Issue

Gun control has not yet become a major issue in the presidential campaign, and some analysts say it may not. Democrats, they believe, have learned from past elections, beginning in 1994, that it is a losing issue for pro-gun control Democrats.

Some Democrats recall that Al Gore's pro-gun control stance cost him numerous states, including his home state of Tennessee.

It has become something of an issue in the Republican field, with the records of several candidates raising questions about their present support of the 2nd Amendment. Among Democrats, only New Mexico's Bill Richardson has a record of support for gun rights.

In state and legislative races, gun control has diminished as an issue as more and more Democrats have embraced the 2nd Amendment and spoken out against it.

Next year's Oklahoma U. S. Senate race likely will be one of the few where gun control will be an issue; incumbent Republican Jim Inhofe has long been a gun control opponent and has had the endorsement of the National Rifle Association. The announced Democrat, freshman State Senator Andrew Rice, likely will be forced into a pro-gun control position by his liberal supporters, some believe. He's already behind the gun control 8-ball: In 2006, Rice failed to join Governor Brad Henry and dozens of other Oklahoma Democrats in returning his completed NRA-PVF survey, resulting in an NRA grade of “?” According to NRAPVF.org this means: “Failed to answer NRA-PVF candidate questionnaire, often an indication of indifference, if not outright hostility, to gun owners’ and sportsmen’s rights.”

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