ASHINGTON - The National Rifle Association's second-ranking officer boasted at a closed meeting of NRA members earlier this year that if Republican nominee George W. Bush wins in November, ''we'll have ... a president where we work out of their office.''
First Vice President Kayne Robinson, who is scheduled to succeed NRA President Charlton Heston, added that the NRA enjoys ''unbelievably friendly relations'' with the Texas governor. Robinson, who is also chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, made the comments Feb. 17 before 300 members in Los Angeles. He also described 2000 as ''a critical election'' in which Bush's success would ensure ''a Supreme Court that will back us to the hilt.''
Bush's presidential campaign denied he is that close to the NRA, citing instances in which he has disagreed with the group. ''Neither the NRA nor any special interest sets the governor's agenda,'' said Bush spokesman Scott McClellan. ''Governor Bush sets his agenda based on his priorities and principles.''
Gun control groups say Bush has rarely strayed from NRA orthodoxy and for years has aggressively promoted its political platform. The NRA said it is proud of its ties to Bush.
Handgun Control Inc., a group that promotes firearms legislation, is featuring a tape of Robinson's comments in a nationwide television ad campaign starting today.
Firearms are emerging as one of the hottest issues in the 2000 campaign. Vice President Al Gore is an advocate of gun control measures and a critic of the NRA. Bush has taken some steps recently to distance himself from the group, even as the NRA seems to be making some headway in accusing the Clinton administration of dragging its feet in prosecuting firearms offenses.
At the same time, the NRA is becoming more openly aligned with the GOP this election season than ever before. In 1999 and 2000, the NRA has given the Republican Party $537,500 in ''soft money'' donations, which can be given to political parties in unlimited amounts. In the 1996 cycle, the NRA gave $87,725 in soft money to the GOP, and in 1997-98 it gave the Republicans $350,000. It donated no soft money to the Democrats in those years.
