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In his race against then-Texas Gov. Ann Richards, Bush pledged to sign a law allowing Texans to carry concealed weapons -- a law Richards had previously vetoed. Then, as governor, Bush signed the concealed-carry law, and also signed a bill denying Texas cities the ability to sue gun manufacturers.

Bush has also said that, as president, he would have vetoed a bill mandating a 24-hour waiting period for firearms purchased at gun shows. The House defeated the bill anyway.

Bush has as of late tried to put a more moderate face on his anti-gun-control stance. The day after the Columbine shooting, Bush held a press conference and claimed to support closing the gun-show loophole, which allows anyone at a gun show with cash on hand to buy almost any gun without a background check.

Then, Texas gun-control advocates say, he began to backpedal, first arguing that the loophole should be closed at the federal level, and then claiming to find the Texas gun show loophole bill flawed. "He did nothing to make that a law," says Nina Butts, the Austin lobbyist for Texans Against Gun Violence. "And as a result, Texas gun shows are still a fabulous source of guns for kids and criminals."

"Gov. Bush has promoted rather than prevented gun violence in Texas," Butts argued. "He signed a law to let ordinary citizens carry guns and half a dozen of them have killed people -- and not in self defense. He has not cooperated with the police chiefs in the seven largest cities here, who very specifically asked the Legislature to crack down on gun shows."

It's odd that Bush would want to distance himself from an industry he has heretofore supported wholeheartedly -- though such a move indicates Bush's awareness that he's no longer only seeking the vote of Texans. "It doesn't look good to have a gun manufacturer as a fund-raiser, but there's no question that Bush is very close to the gun industry and the NRA," Butts said. "He has done the NRA's bidding in Texas."

After Dyke resigned, the Democratic National Committee began trying to make political hay of the issue. "Bush should prove that his staunch opposition to reasonable gun safety laws has nothing to do with who funds his campaign," DNC National Chairman Joe Andrew said.

"It all comes down to a question of Bush's judgment," added DNC General Chairman Roy Romer. "He claims he wants to protect all of America's children, but time after time, he sides with the gun lobby. Why, at a time when legislators in Congress and in Texas were considering gun safety legislation to protect children, did Bush select an assault weapons dealer as one of his top fund-raisers?"
salon.com | Aug. 11, 1999

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