Gun Issues

(Back to top)

2007  In 2007 Gun Owners of America gave Senator McCain a grade of F-.

2006  Senator McCain supported the interests of the Gun Owners of America 100 percent in 2006.

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  In 2003 Gun Owners of America gave Senator McCain a grade of C-.

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-).

1993-1994  Senator McCain supported the interests of the National Rifle Association 100 percent in 1993-1994.

1990-1993  On the votes that the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence considered to be the most important in 1990-1993 , Senator McCain voted their preferred position 0 percent of the time.

1988-2008  Based on lifetime voting records on gun issues and the results of a questionnaire sent to all candidates from 1988-2008, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence assigned Senator McCain a grade of 17 percent.

1987-1999  Senator McCain supported the interests of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 11 percent in 1987-1999.

How to Interpret these Evaluations: (Back to top) Project Vote Smart collects performance evaluations from special interest groups who provide them, regardless of issue or bias. If you have any comments concerning performance evaluations or know of a group that provides ratings not included here, please contact us at ratings@vote-smart.org. Keep in mind that ratings done by special interest groups are biased. They do not represent a non-partisan stance. In addition, some groups select votes that tend to favor members of one political party over another, rather than choosing votes based solely on issues concerns. Nevertheless, they can be invaluable in showing where an incumbent has stood on a series of votes in the past one or two years, especially when ratings by groups on all sides of an issue are compared. Website links, if available, and descriptions of the organizations offering performance evaluations are accessible by clicking on the name of the group. Most performance evaluations are displayed in a percentage format. However, some organizations present their ratings in the form of a letter grade or endorsement based on voting records, interviews, survey results and/or sources of campaign funding. For consistency, Project Vote Smart converts all scores into a percentage when possible. Please visit the group's website or call 1-888-VOTESMART for more specific information.