Sizing up the candidates on gun control

Nathan Rodriguez, nrodriguez@vailtrail.com
July 16, 2008

It’s election season, which usually finds candidates for office awkwardly pandering for votes in recently purchased hunting gear.

This year things are a bit different in the presidential race, as Barack Obama and John McCain aren’t dressing the part. But this lack of gear hasn’t camouflaged the pandering. Both candidates understand that the gun control lobby—though well-funded—isn’t able to mobilize voters with the ease of the National Rifle Association.

It’s like a scene from an old Western where someone is gruffly ordered at gunpoint to “dance.” The gun lobby pounded the table, raised its voice, and McCain and Obama have begun the elaborate gun dance.

Twist on the message
If each candidate were to summarize their position on gun control in a single sentence, McCain might say, “I’ll make sure you can keep your guns,” and Obama could answer, “I’ll make sure you still have places to hunt.”

Certainly, McCain’s stance is the tried-and-true approach for reaching out to the gun lobby, but Obama’s framing of the issue may intrigue some voters out West.

In the past few weeks, Obama has been accused of “moving to the middle” on a variety of issues. To be fair, Obama has maintained a nuanced view on gun control, as might be expected from a former professor of constitutional law. On the campaign trail, his rhetoric so far has been geared toward softening his image as a gun control advocate.

Meanwhile, McCain’s embrace with the NRA is a bit like seeing Ike and Tina Turner smile for the cameras. The senator built his “Maverick” reputation in part by standing up to special interest groups like the NRA in his pursuit of campaign finance reform, and even on specifics like background checks at gun shows.

Elections can produce some unlikely bedfellows, and this year the NRA seems comfortable putting its support behind McCain.

Will anyone notice?

Weight of the Supreme Court
In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that Washington D.C.’s ban on handguns violated the Second Amendment.

More importantly, the decision clarified the court’s opinion on whether the right to bear arms applied to individuals or the militias. With the Heller decision, the court’s ruling aligned with public opinion: individuals have the right to bear arms.

After the ruling, McCain slammed Obama in a statement issued by his campaign, saying, “Unlike Senator Obama, who refused to join me in signing a bipartisan amicus brief, I was pleased to express my support and call for the ruling issued today.” Later, McCain suggested an “elitist view ... believes Americans cling to guns out of bitterness,” in reference to Obama’s verbal gaffe in Pennsylvania.

When the Heller decision was announced, Obama gave a measured response, saying he supported the right of individuals to bear arms, but also supported the right of localities to enact certain gun restrictions.

Despite McCain’s effort to get some mileage out of the Heller decision, Obama’s public stance seems to satisfy local gun enthusiasts. “He had a very well reasoned and well thought out response, which was appropriate,” said Bob Bailey, owner of Personalized Motorcycle Services and gun enthusiast.

Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence in Washington, D.C., sees the Heller decision as a blessing in disguise for gun control advocates.
“When you analyze it politically, if the court ruled the other way, the NRA and gun lobbies would be really stirred up,” Helmke said. “Instead, we get a middle of the road ruling that fits in with where most people are—including Obama—so it’s hard for someone in rural Colorado ... to be worried when the Supreme Court just said it can’t take your guns away.”

NRA up in arms
Following Heller, the NRA has been on the move. Earlier this month, it announced plans to spend $40 million in the presidential race, with $15 million earmarked toward portraying Obama as a Second Amendment threat.

Chris Cox, a spokesman for the NRA, told Politico.com that if Obama is elected president, “He has support in the Senate to confirm anti-gun Supreme Court nominees,” and the Heller Decision “could be taken away from us in the future.”

Within minutes of the Heller decision, the NRA filed suit to overturn handgun laws in Obama’s hometown of Chicago. NRA board member Grover Norquist told CBS News that the group intends to prolong the issue by “Put(ting) a microphone in (Obama’s) face,” and asking, “Do you support the Chicago gun control laws?”

Helmke doesn’t think that strategy is viable.

“It won’t work politically,” Helmke said. “Lawsuits don’t move quickly, and even though they filed it 15 minutes after the (Heller) ruling, the election will be over before the court ever sees the case.”

But the NRA’s warning that Heller could be repealed may resonate with some voters. “It was a scary-close decision,” said Mathew Bayley, owner and operator of On-Target Firearms Training and Sales in Avon. “It was 5-4. What happens if it goes the other direction? It’s very, very important to consider who is in the White House and who they will nominate for (the next open seat on) the Supreme Court.”

Always an issue
“I’m the first person to admit that my opinion on the issue is skewed,” said Bayley, laughing. It turns out he has a harrowing tale to accompany his admittedly fringe viewpoint.

“Back in the 70s, in West Virginia, we were facing something straight out of Deliverance. We were on the Jenkinsburg landing on the Cheat River, and a group of these hillbilly criminals came down and started robbing and pillaging,” said Bayley. “We tried to sneak away to call the police when we were confronted by a criminal with a gun. I stuck my pistol right in his teeth, and he dropped the rifle and walked away.”

More recently, Bayley said his wife has benefited from carrying a gun. “She was the victim of road rage two years ago in Denver,” Bayley said. “A guy came running at her with a crowbar, so she aimed her gun out the window. He came to a skidding halt and walked away.”

It’s the “walked away” part of these two stories that puts Bayley firmly in the corner of the gun lobby. Similarly, Bob Bailey says that gun control is a primary issue for him in the election, despite his approval of Obama’s response to Heller and his belief that the ruling “has taken a lot of the bite out of it as a political issue.”

“It’s a major issue because it has far-reaching implications for what happens with the rest of our rights,” said Bailey. He said the right to bear arms remains “at the forefront” in voting for a political candidate.

“I was taught a long time ago that there’s never a perfect candidate,” said Bailey. “So when I look at what issues I’m measuring a candidate by, the Second Amendment is a huge consideration because it’s an indication of how they’ll act elsewhere. And I think a lot of people see it that way.”


Nathan Rodriguez can be reached for comment at (970) 748-2982 or nrodriguez@vailtrail.com.