I know for sure. Your hypothesis is complete BS.
The main reasons WV voted for Bush is that: 1) Gore took the state for granted, while Bush visited several times, something unheard of in West Virginia, with only 5 EVs. As a result, Bush got tons and tons of gushing media coverage from local writers and TV reporters who had been pretty much ignored by all presidential candidates since JFK in 1960. 2) Gore was anti-gun in a strongly pro-2A state. 3) Captain Ecology Gore scared the hell out of people whose entire livelihood revolves around coal mining and chemical plants.