96 Play in Steering Column

I have play in the column if you pull the wheel with your hand in about the one to two o'clock position towards the rear of the car and push towards the front in the 7 to 8 o'clock position. There's about a 1/4" of play and it springs back to the original position. This has been happening since I bought the car, but doesn't seem to have gotten worse.

Does anyone know what might be wrong? Should I bother tearing the column apart or leave it alone? Is it a safety issue?

I've disassembled the column on an 88 so I'm somewhat familiar w/ the process and have some of the tools that make it easier.

Thanks