September 15, 2007
Posted: 12:01 PM ET
LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson walked through rows of assault rifles, pistols and other firearms, signing autographs and greeting people at a gun show Saturday. Despite his pitch for support, some of the gun advocates were not convinced that the former Tennessee senator was completely on their side. "I was all for him until I started reading the votes," said gun dealer Ken Strevels, standing at a table lined with machine guns, including an enormous .50 caliber rifle held up by a tripod. "I'm not sure now. He's flipping on the vote. It's like he's working both sides." A Gun Owners of America report said Thompson voted "anti-gun" 14 times on 33 votes the group tracked during his eight years in the Senate, ending in 2003. Tim Smith, a Winter Haven dealer, said the report raises questions about whether Thompson is entirely pro-gun. But among the Republican candidates in 2008, Smith said Thompson may offer the best choice. "We really have nobody that we would consider a 100 percent pro-gun candidate running," said Smith, who acknowledged that some of Thompson's votes came on issues that were "borderline anti-gun issues." Among the votes the group listed as "anti-gun," for example, were ones to appoint a federal judge and restrict political fundraising. The group's Web site said Thompson generally votes against gun control. Thompson said he did not know what Smith was talking about. "He'd have to look pretty hard to find one," he said.
Thompson was met with enthusiasm when he arrived at the show in this central Florida town between Orlando and Tampa. The Pasco County GOP chairman, Bill Bunting, introduced him to the crowd as a strong supporter of the National Rifle Association. "He's one of us. He's an endowment member of the NRA. That's a heavyweight," said Bunting, who is a concealed weapons instructor. "It's good to be among friends. I've been to a lot of shows like this," Thompson said. "I need your help. I want to work with you because you're my friends, and you're going to be my friends all the way to the White House." Thompson attended the show during the last day of a three-day bus tour of Florida, where he drew large crowds around the state the week after getting into the race. He also planned to campaign at the Florida-Tennessee college football game in Gainesville before heading back to Tennessee on Saturday night. Filed under: Florida • Fred Thompson • Race to '08
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