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Senator John S. McCain (AZ)
Current Office: U.S. Senator Current District: Senior Seat First Elected: 11/04/1986 Last Elected: 11/02/2004 Next Election: 2010 Party: Republican
2005 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Gun Owners of America 0 percent in 2005.
2004 Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all Congressional candidates in 2004, the National Rifle Association assigned Senator McCain a grade of C+ (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F).
2003-2004 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Gun Owners of America 0 percent in 2003-2004.
2003 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 14 percent from 1988-2003 (Senate) or 1991-2003 (House).
2003 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Gun Owners of America 40 percent in 2003.
2002 On the votes that the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence considered to be the most important as of 2002, Senator McCain voted their preferred position 14 percent of the time. These scores are cumulative for each representative's time in their current office. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence considered votes from 1988-2002 in the House and 1991-2002 in the Senate when determining these scores.
2001-2002 Based on the results of a questionnaire the Gun Owners of America assigned Senator McCain a grade of C- (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F-).
1999-2000 Senator McCain supported the interests of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence 0 percent in 1999-2000.
1999-2000 Based on the results of a questionnaire the Gun Owners of America assigned Senator McCain a grade of C- (with grades ranging from a high of A+ to a low of F-).
Generally a "R" by their name gets a candidate a starting rating of at least a "B" by the NRA, and being an incumbent "R" raises that to an A or least A-. So to get a C+, you can't exactly be a staunch friend of the Second Amendment. The GOA ratings reflect the same thing, and they are much less influenced by incumbency and party than the NRA. It appears that the Senator from Arizona doesn't respect the Second Amendment much more than he does the First.
I remember looking up McCain's ACU rating when I first came online, back in 1999 or 2000.
During the 80's and early 90's his ACU rating had been about 90, but it really dropped from 1988 onward, as he began to "position" himself for the 2000 race. His ACU rating for the period just before 2000 was down around 75 or so. Still conservative, but nowhere near as conservative as his junior colleague, John Kyl.
Orrin Hatch of Utah, who also wanted to run, showed the same kind of sudden drift downward in his ACU ratings about the same time.