I'm an Irish girl, but as far as I know the 'assault weapons' ban was introduced by Clinton initially. So you would not vote Republican, but support a Democrat because the Democrat introduced it in the first place?????(Now my head is spinning!!)
Where in my post did I say I would support a democrat? If you weren't a woman, those would be fightin' words. ; )
In '92 Bush lost because he demonstrated, even to those of us who'd held our noses and voted for him in '88, that he was truly Reagan's biggest mistake. '92 was the first election in which I cast a Presidential vote for anyone other than the Republican candidate - I voted Libertarian. Bush's two biggest mistakes were his support for tax increases and his support for the Assault Weapons Ban. Clinton's signing the Assault Weapons Ban played a huge role in the '94 Republican takeover of the House of Representatives. No need to take my word for it, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) has said anti-gun issues weren't something the Democrats should continue to push as it was the major reason they lost the House and their ability to push the rest of their agenda. In 2000, Bush won because of the NRA's endorsement and the fact Gore was recognized as hostile to the 2nd Amendment.
Bush appointments have made it difficult to arm airline pilots and it now appears he's counting on Congress to make sure he doesn't have to sign the extension of the Assault Weapons Ban. His lack of leadership on this issue will definitely cost him the support of some gun owners - a group that, IMHO, is getting tired of being taken for granted.