WASHINGTON — The death of a former president of the National Rifle Association, Charlton Heston, throws a spotlight on a debate over gun control that has largely moved off center stage in recent years.

The actor, who died Saturday, became synonymous with the issue of gun rights late in his life through his leadership of the NRA, as he helped energize the organization with the rallying cry “from my cold, dead hands!”

But the fight over the Second Amendment rarely has dominated the national discourse in the years since Heston faded from the public eye in 2002, despite recent highly publicized school shootings and a soon-to-be-decided Supreme Court case that could have far-reaching implications for gun rights. The case, in which the high court will rule on the constitutionality of the District of Columbia’s handgun ban, could return the gun rights debate to the fore, as could a general election campaign for the presidency in which Republicans may use the issue to rally conservatives against Senator Clinton or Senator Obama.

Analysts say the drop in prominence for the battle over gun control has less to do with Heston’s retirement in 2002 than with a political environment dominated by Republicans for most of the last seven years. With Republicans in control of Congress and the White House, the threat to gun rights that has long galvanized the NRA and its membership largely dissipated, a former NRA official and the author of “Ricochet: Confessions of a Gun Lobbyist,” Richard Feldman, said.

“I could make an argument that the worst thing to happen to the NRA was George Bush getting elected” in 2000, Mr. Feldman said. In his book, published last fall, he criticizes the organization for coveting power and influence more than the protection of Second Amendment rights for gun owners. “They’d rather fight than win,” he said.

While the Democrats gained a majority in Congress beginning last year, little has changed, in large measure because the party relied on candidates opposed to restrictive gun control. It is a reality accepted even by staunch gun control advocates. “It’s a tough issue. It’s a pro-gun House. It’s a pro-gun Senate,” a Democrat who has taken a leading role in pushing for stronger measures restricting access to guns, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of New York, said.

In the absence of a working majority in favor of gun control, Ms. McCarthy has concentrated on more narrowly tailored bills that can attract bipartisan support. Following the Virginia Tech shooting last year, she partnered with the NRA on a measure to strengthen the federal background check system to better prevent violent criminals and mentally disabled people from buying guns. On Wednesday, she will appear with relatives of Virginia Tech victims to announce a bill requiring colleges and universities to implement systems to alert students and faculty of campus emergencies.

Leading gun rights advocates are likely to support Senator McCain over either Democratic contender this fall, however, a wild card could be the candidacy of a former Georgia congressman, Robert Barr, who sits on the NRA board. Mr. Barr is running for the nomination of the Libertarian Party.

While both Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton have supported gun control measures opposed by Second Amendment stalwarts, Mr. Obama has made a more visible effort to attract the support of gun owners. And advocates like Mr. Feldman say he has a leg up on Mrs. Clinton because of his vote in 2006 in favor of an amendment offered in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that prohibited law enforcement officials from confiscating otherwise legal firearms during an emergency or natural disaster. Mrs. Clinton voted against the bill.