Politics

Gun show welcomes Thompson

Not all candidates are warmly ushered into this arena, but the GOP presidential hopeful is backed by Pasco's Bill Bunting.

By ADAM C. SMITH, Times Political Editor
Published September 16, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Adam C. Smith | Times] Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson campaigns at the Lakeland Rifle and Pistol Club's gun show on Saturday.

LAKELAND - Fred Thompson ambled through a sea of camo and ammo at the Lakeland Rifle and Pistol Club's gun show Saturday, signing autographs, shaking hands and drawling his admiration for the Second Amendment.

"It's never made sense to me why when you have violent crime in the streets the first thing people want to return to is restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens," the Law & Order actor and Republican presidential candidate said to cheers.

It may have seemed like a routine stop for a candidate trolling for Republican votes. But when it comes to gun show politics in Florida, Thompson's stroll through the Lakeland Civic Center was more like an escorted introduction to an exclusive and coveted club.

In a state with millions of gun owners and more than 430,000 concealed weapon permit-holders, a candidate doesn't get to schmooze the habitual voters to be found among the firearm, knife, and occasional Nazi memorabilia vendors without help from two key figures: Pasco County GOP Chairman Bill Bunting and Victor Bean of Orlando, the owner of the Southern Classic Gun & Knife shows.

Got a candidate who once liked requiring waiting periods for gun purchases? Forget about him getting too close to the tens of thousands of voters at Florida gun shows. Got one who's always scoffed at banning assault weapons? The doors may open wide.

"You don't get in unless Bill Bunting says you get in," said Republican National Committeewoman Sharon Day, recounting how volunteers for Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Gallagher forced their way into a Fort Lauderdale gun show last year to pass out campaign material only to be quickly ejected.

Bunting was a Charlie Crist guy.

"Maybe they can pass out stuff out front, but if they've got any antigun in them at all, they're not going to be allowed at these shows," said Bean, the state's biggest gun show promoter.

Bunting, a longtime instructor for the National Rifle Association who used to be kept at arms length by top state GOP leaders, is now heavily courted by all the campaigns.

Bunting said, for instance, that earlier this year he declined a political consulting offer from John McCain's campaign. And before his footwork in an airport men's room killed his political career, NRA board member and Idaho Sen. Larry Craig called Bunting to offer his services as keynote speaker for the Pasco GOP's Reagan Day dinner. And to talk up Mitt Romney. Bunting said no thanks.

Most of the leading GOP presidential candidates have serious baggage in the minds of avid gun rights activists.

Rudy Giuliani supported banning assault weapons and sued gun manufacturers. Romney, despite touring an Orlando gun show earlier this year, used to tout his support for Massachusetts' tough gun laws and once declared, "I don't line up with the NRA." John McCain has generally opposed gun control measures, but supported tightening regulations on gun show sales.

"I told Bill nearly a year ago that I was really worried about who we had running," said Bean, whose Florida shows draw about 65,000 people a year and who is now an enthusiastic Thompson supporter.

Marion Hammer of Tallahassee, the former national president of the NRA, is an icon among Florida's gun rights enthusiasts, but Republican political consultant Brett Doster said Bunting and Bean are approaching her status in terms of influence.

"Can you win only with Second Amendment enthusiasts? No. But it's a very good way to establish your credibility on issues important to a lot of voters," Doster said. "And Thompson will have a very strong volunteer base on the west coast of Florida, so if the race gets split three ways that can make a real difference."

As Pasco Republican chairman, Bunting says he can't actually endorse a candidate, but everybody knows he's an avid Thompson supporter. The Thompson bumper sticker on his car is one clue, and his escorting Thompson through the Lakeland gun show Saturday was another.

"He's one of us," Bunting announced into a microphone as he introduced Thompson. "He's an endowment member of the NRA, guys. That's a heavyweight!"

Adam C. Smith can be reached at asmith@sptimes.com or (727)893-8241.

[Last modified September 16, 2007, 00:03:47]