The American Spectator

. According a staffer with the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action, which spearheads the group’s political activities, the NRA board is debating whether to endorse Dole in her Senate bid. (Dole will most likely face off against either former Clinton chief of staff Erskine Bowles or Elaine Marshall , the tarheel state’s secretary of state. Former statehouse speaker Dan Blue is running a distant third in Democratic polling.) /p>

“We don’t want to endorse her,” says the ILA policy staffer. “She’s been awful on gun ownership issues, gun control issues. The NRA can’t be expected just to endorse every Republican the party puts up. “

This is especially true in North Carolina, where the NRA’s roots and support run deep. The NRA board told both the White House and Republican National Committee board members that if they put Dole on the Senate ballot, they risked not gaining the NRA endorsement.

“This North Carolina race may be our opportunity to show our independence,” says an NRA board member.

Others inside the NRA are pushing to stand by the Republican Party and endorse Dole, or face troubles down the road when gun-control measures arise in Congress. “If the NRA bails on Dole, you can be sure the Republicans will bail on the NRA when the next big gun bill comes up. Then we’ll see how independent the NRA really wants to be,” says another NRA board member.