Absolutely.
Also, there is nothing wrong with communicating very clearly to both Congress and the White House that an extension of this bill will cause many conservative gun owners to sit out or vote third party.
If the bill somehow gets to Bush's desk after such a campaign it would mostlikely be the result of a very, very close vote.
That would give Bush cover for a veto with the explanation being along the lines of "such a hotly contested law with dubious actual relationship to reducing crime should not be renewed by such a slim margin, if this law is truly the will of the American people they will contact enough legislators that Congress is able to override my veto..."
Or some other such drivel - but you get the idea. It's all about political cover. Pro AWB voters aren't going to vote for him anyway.
Therefore he just needs to be able to explain to the 70% or so of Americans who don't have a dog in the hunt and don't understand the issues. IF he gets out there and explains that the ban has no effect on crime then Americans won't have a problem with the veto.
This doesn't mean I'm voting for him if he does sign it - I'm getting to the point where I want the next revolution to occur - you know, the one that the Socialists are pushing for. Might as well get it over with while I can still take part in it.
JMO.