Members of the House "Blue Dog" coalition—a group of conservative Democrats—have been discussing the issue of gun control ever since the November 7 elections, according to a recent article in the Congressional Quarterly Daily Monitor. The result of these discussions? They "don't want (gun control) to be part of the Democratic agenda," according to U.S. Representative Marion Berry (D-Ark.). Berry went on to say, "We just don't think it's a good issue for the party." The concern was prompted by Democratic losses in several races that were directly attributed to the party's attacks on the Second Amendment. The crushing defeat of Democrat

Scotty Baesler by U.S. Rep. Ernie Fletcher (R-Ky.) seemed to highlight the concerns of the Blue Dogs. Baesler, who gave up the seat now held by Fletcher in 1998 to run for the U.S. Senate (Baesler lost that race to current U.S. Senator Jim Bunning, a pro-gun stalwart), ran an extremely anti-gun campaign, that was heavily supported by gun-ban extremists, such as those at HCI. His campaign included an expensive media campaign, the exploitation of crime victims to promote his agenda, and his wife even appeared on the "Rosie O'Donnell Show" to promote Baesler's anti-gun views. Fletcher wound up winning by an 18 point margin.

Some House Democratic aides blamed the Clinton-Gore Administration's anti-gun agenda for their problems, and one said, "Democratic members had to defend Clinton's aggressivity [sic] on the issue." While NRA would certainly welcome the Democratic Party's leadership abandoning gun control as a party platform, we are not holding our breath, but certainly appreciate any support members of the Blue Dog coalition may offer.

Source: NRA