I think the country wants a leader with vision and principles. If Democrats wnat to ban all guns and a RINO only wants to ban some but can't really articulate why some guns are more ban-worthy than others, an uninformed voter will perceive that the only reason the RINO is holding back progress is that he's in the pocket of the evil gun lobby.
By contrast, if a candidate took the position that the success of 39 states' CCW programs shows clearly that citizen armament is an asset to the country, even people who might otherwise be anti-gun would be more likely to rethink that position. They may or may not decide they agree with it, but in any case they'd be more likely to judge the candidate as having genuine beliefs rather than merely being a foot-dragger.
The reason that the 'Rats want to ban all guns is that they know that if there is a second American Revolution, they will be the redcoats.