Should democrats drop the gun control issue

[The Undefeatable Debbie Stabenow]

What's interesting to me is that although a wide variety of gun control measures are extremely popular in opinion polling, referendums last year on gun control measures in ME and NV (Democratic-leaning states, although yes, they seem more gun-friendly than most Democratic-leaning states) were extremely tight. For whatever reason, that popular public support doesn't translate into electoral success; maybe it's the specifics of each proposal, but I think it's more than that.

More specific to the question at hand; I think there is a little any Democratic nominee can do to avoid being slandered as "trying to take away our guns" by the right. I certainly don't think making small adjustments to policy will make a difference on that front. Aside from having an "A" rating from the NRA, conservatives will tear liberals apart for being too tough on guns, regardless of whether it's a vehemently pro-gun control Democrat or a only kinda pro-gun control Democrat. I would propose that the Democratic nominee in 2020 have a pretty aggressive anti-gun position, on their website and the like, to satisfy the base who will likely be looking for this sort of position, but I would want the nominee to avoid talk of this issue as much as they can in debates or interviews, or try to come off as more moderate. It's not a winning issue among the general electorate, but I also think they should tailor to the Democratic base; they just need to not make it a major point of their campaign.