Gun Control in the North Carolina Senate Race
Gun control in the south is a hotbed for dicision in southern politics. The South has historically produced pro-gun politicians who closely ally themselves this sportsmen and second amendment advocacy groups. The issue of gun control in North Carolina is very similar to that of abortion; if a politician miscalculates and takes an unpopular position they may create huge negatives among certain demographics in the state. Each candidate has adopted different ways to represent their constiuents, in approaching this issue.
Burr
Richard Burr has a long voting of supporting gun owners and various right wing second amendment advocacy groups. “In 1999, he voted in favor of shortening the length of the background check that a person needed when buying a gun at a gun show from 72 hours to 24hours” (issues2000.org). In a similar fashion, Burr voted in 2003 to “ban citizens from suing gunmakers and sellers for gun misuse” (Burr2004.com). Burr is a clear enemy of the gun control lobby and does not have any reservations about trumpeting his pro-gun platform. Burr believes he is representing his right wing base through his stance on this issue. The Nation Rifle Association avidly supports Burr, giving him a ranking of “A+” (issues2000.org). The CRNC, a North Carlinia gun advocacy group, gives Burr a “perfect score” as well (crnc.com). Richard Burr’s platform is one that reaches out to rural right wing conservatives and his stance on guns appeals greatly to this demographic.
Bowles
Erskine Bowles on the otherhand has adopted a wholly different approach to the gun control issue. Clearly, North Carolinians are divided on this issue, and Richard Burr already has a lock on the votes of fervent pro-gun supporters. Bowles has chosen not to address the issue of gun control and has made no clear defining statements on the issue. On his website, Bowles has links to all of his positions on the issues, but gun control is mysteriously nowhere to be found (Bowles2004.com). Various pro-gun organizations and issue outlining websites have been unable to uncover Bowles position on gun control and they all list that he has “no stance” on the issue (NRA.com). Bowles has a clear strategy for representing North Carolina, and has focused his message on issues such as the economy, where his experiences and advantages lie.
Motives
It is quite obvious that Bowles is trying to reinforce his image as a “consensus builder” (Johnson, 2004) and is intentionally trying to avoid controversial issues that may score him high negatives among many North Carolinians. Bowles is attempting to set the political agenda by not giving the gun issue much attention. Burr on the otherhand is fervently trying to mobilize his right wing base, and has chosen tackle this specific issue head on.
© Davidson College, 2004, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035
Created By Jack Hubbard
Created: 9/10/2004. Last updated: 9/10/2004.