Recent polling suggests that the American public isn't really interested in gun control this election cycle. They're more focused on things like the economy. Considering my grocery bill each week, I get it.

But Kamala Harris has a long history of supporting extreme gun control measures. From backing a handgun ban in San Francisco to calling for an assault weapon ban and mandatory "buyback" in 2019, she's tried to position herself as a gun owner and therefore trustworthy on the issue of guns. Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has done the same thing, including saying he could outshoot Marine Corps veteran J.D. Vance.

She wants the voters to see her as good on guns, all while pushing gun control. Granted, other polling suggests the public actually wants those gun control policies enacted.

If that's true, though, why is Trump kicking her can so badly on the issue of guns?

In a Fox News poll, respondents reported on which candidate they thought would be better on several issues. On the issue of guns, the poll showed Trump up by six percentage points over Harris.

Alan Gottlieb,  chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, wasn't the least bit surprised. In a press release addressing the poll, he offered the following:

“This is a critical issue for millions of likely voters across the country,” said Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. “I believe gun owners could provide the winning difference in many parts of the country, especially key battleground states such as Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, Wisconsin and Arizona.”

As the race heads into its home stretch, with various polls showing it to be neck-and-neck between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, Gottlieb said this underscores the critical need for gun owners to vote. 

“The future of our Second Amendment is on the line next Tuesday,” he stressed. “America’s gun owners have the opportunity to make the difference. Elections matter and they have consequences. The next president will make judicial appointments, which could include filling Supreme Court vacancies. It is imperative that gun owners keep this in mind when casting their ballots. The next president will appoint heads of the Justice Department, FBI and ATF. These people will set policies directly affecting America’s hunters, competitive shooters and all men and women who own, or hope to buy, guns to protect their families and homes.

“It should be clear by now which candidate has the interests, and rights, of gun owners as a priority and who doesn’t,” he observed. “Kamala Harris has a history of supporting restrictive gun ban and control policies, and despite her claim to be a gun owner, when it comes to Second Amendment issues, she can’t shoot straight. Her running mate, Tim Walz—despite his reputation as an avid hunter—recently demonstrated in a video he has trouble loading his own shotgun. 

“Trump has already shown his preference for appointing judges, including Supreme Court justices, who adhere to the Constitution,” Gottlieb noted, “and the next four years are certain to provide more opportunities to fill important vacancies up and down the court ladder. 

“Gun owners need to vote,” he said. “This is not the time to let apathy and lethargy keep you away from the polls. The Second Amendment matters now more than ever.”

He ain't wrong.

The big thing for me here is that Harris is running as if the gun issue benefits here. She and Walz are absolutely and totally convinced that this is a winning issue for her. This tells us that it's not. Most Americans simply don't trust her.

Yet the polling seems to suggest they favor the same policies as most of the American public does. So what gives?

Well, first, there's the possibility that the polling is wrong. As I've noted in the past, a lot of that polling is phrased in a way where people might say they support something like background checks, meaning they support the status quo, but it's interpreted as preferring universal background checks. Do that with enough issues and you paint a misleading picture.

However, that can only account for a small bit of that.

Instead, I think the majority of the issue is that there's absolutely no reason to trust Kamala Harris will stop at the things she's campaigning on. In fact, even some of her supporters seem to believe that.

Yet because of that fact, they might support those particular policies, but they don't want to see gun control go one step further. They can't trust Harris to stop, preferring the Trump promise of remaining firm on guns.

Nothing about that surprises me, but Harris now has to hope that guns aren't an issue in the election because if they are, she's going to get curb-stomped on Tuesday.