The long-running debate over gun control has broken into the open for the first time since 1994 in the aftermath of the Columbine High School shootings. Republican presidential contender Elizabeth Dole broke with party dogma and Senate Republicans reversed ground on the issue of background checks for purchasers of firearms at gun shows.
Gun control is one of those rare issues fraught with peril for both parties. Republicans risk being tagged as carrying the water for conservative extremists and potentially damaging themselves with moderate suburban voters who already view the GOP with considerable skepticism. Democrats still remember that gun control in general and party support for the assault rifle ban in particular was the cause for defections among labor union members in the 1994 election. Being known as the gun control party can make races difficult for pro-gun conservative Democrats in swing districts like freshmen Reps. Ronnie Shows in Mississippi and Ken Lucas in Kentucky. Both won open seats in 1998 that were previously held by Republicans.
For both parties, the key to dealing with the gun control issue is
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