The conversation surrounding the balance of gun rights and community safety can be a politically divisive issue. As it stands the Second Amendment protects the right of gun ownership, however the increasing rates of gun violence sparks questions on what level of restrictions are necessary and permissible. Positions on the issue tend to fall along party lines. Democrats prioritize the need for restricting firearm access in order to protect the community, while Republicans tend to focus on the importance of one’s Constitutional right to own a gun. Common gun control methods include background checks to prevent those with a violent record from owning a firearm, red flag laws which seek to prevent those in a mental crisis from possessing a firearm, and banning certain classes of firearms or attachments.
President Biden and Gun Policy
President Biden makes gun control a principal issue in his administration. He put together a White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention. President Biden has also used executive orders, legislation, and public calls on the gun industry to help achieve his goals of reducing the amount of gun violence in the United States. President Biden signed an executive order increasing the number of background checks required by law and increasing awareness of red flag laws which aim to keep firearms out of the hands of high risk individuals. Biden championed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which, in part, improved the background check system, increased community violence intervention programs, and expanded access to mental health services.
Quotes:
“At the end of the day, whether they’re Democrats or Republicans, we all want our families to be safe. We all want to go to school, houses of worship, grocery stores, gyms, malls, movies without constant anxiety. We all want our kids to have the freedom to learn how to read and write in school instead of duck and cover, for God’s sake. And it matters.”
“The epidemic of gun violence is ripping apart families and communities every day. Some make the news. Much of it doesn’t. But all of it is unacceptable. We have to decide who we are as a country. For me, we’re a country where people should have the right to go to school, to go to church, to walk the street and to attend a Super Bowl celebration without fear of losing your life to gun violence.”
“I’m not going to rest until we do all we can to prevent more families, more communities from being torm apart by gun violence.”
Donald Trump and Gun Policy
Donald Trump has not maintained a consistent stance regarding gun policy since 2016. At times former President Trump opposed background checks, assault weapons bans, and red flag laws. Other times he supported such policies. However, while in office Donald Trump pledged his support of red flag laws, banned bump stocks, and voiced support for universal background checks. Most recently Donald Trump vowed to undo gun control actions taken by the Biden administration his first week back in office if elected while falsely claiming he did nothing on guns while in office previously.
Quotes:
“We must make sure that those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms and that if they do, those firearms can be taken through rapid due process. That is why I have called for red flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders.”
“I think background checks are important. I don’t want to put guns into the hands of mentally unstable people or people with rage or hate, sick people. I’m all in favor of it.”
“I was proud to be the most pro-gun, pro-Second Amendment president you’ve ever had in the White House. And with your support in 2024, I will be your loyal friend and fearless champion once again as the 47th president of the United States.”
Marianne Williamson and Gun Policy
Marianne Williamson believes we have an epidemic of gun violence in the United States and vows to address the issue accordingly while protecting Americans Second Amendment right, citing the text of the amendment which includes the words “well regulated.” Williamson pledges to declare a national emergency for the epidemic of gun violence, to work with national and local organizations on a comprehensive gun control plan, expand background checks, end gun show loopholes, and require training, licensure and periodic renewal like we have with drivers licenses in order to possess a fire arm.
Quotes:
“The argument over gun rights is less about the Second Amendment and more about profit maximization for gun manufacturers.”
“The short term profits of the gun manufacturers are placed before the safety of our citizens and how long are the American people going to take this?”
“I will establish a U.S. Department of Peace. Gun violence is a symptom and we must also address the cause. Many elements foster violent behavior, and I will lead a national effort to create a nonviolent society.
Cornel West and Gun Policy
Cornel West would take a holistic approach to gun policy. West believes we must look into the underlying causes of gun violence including poverty, inequality, unemployment, and systematic injustice. Only when we eliminate these factors will the problem of gun violence be solved. Cornel West also believes there is a place for gun control and requirements to own firearms. However, without strong communities he believes that those aims are not possible.
Quotes:
“I don’t think guns are the place to start. That’s why I’m an abolitionist about poverty, indecent housing, unavailable healthcare, and not enough jobs with a living wage.”
“If we create the kind of communities then we can still have access legitimate forms of gun control without people pointing guns at each other.”
“Even if all the guns were gone in California, if your spirit is such, you’re dealing with poverty, desperation, shattered families and communities, you’re gonna find something else to kill somebody.”
Jill Stein and Gun Policy
Jill Stein does not make gun control a primary issue of her campaign; however she is an advocate for gun control. Stein is an advocate for increasing background checks, a ban on assault weapons, red flag laws, and tighter regulations on gun sales. Jill Stein believes to reduce gun violence we must also address the root causes including mental health, poverty, and racial disparities.
Quotes:
“We certainly need an assault weapons ban, but we need more than that… So, we need to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. We need background checks, so that the mentally ill are not possessing and using guns. And we need to end the gun show loopholes, as well…”
“We have to address the other drivers of community violence. That includes ensuring that mental health services are available to everyone. But in addition, we need to end the culture of drug violence, which also is a major driver of gun violence.”
“It is more dangerous to the occupants of a home to have a gun than not…It’s an enormous public health problem in our cities, there are tragedies every day where young people are being shot, as victims of gun crimes…We’re not arguing that nobody should have a gun–but public safety should factor into constraints.”
Robert F. Kennedy and guns
Robert F. Kennedy believes in the importance of Americans Second Amendment rights but does advocate for common sense gun control legislation. He is not a supporter of red flag laws. RFK believes the rise in gun violence can be attributed to the increase of mental health medication, which is inline to his While he has said he would sign an assault weapon ban as President he believes there is nothing that can realistically be done about gun violence in the United States due to the Second Amendment.
Quotes:
“Guns, the proliferation, clearly, abets violence, but anybody who tells you that they can remove enough guns, AR-15s, by tinkering at the margins and get to the situation they have in western Europe is puling your leg. It’s not going to happen.”
“I had two family members who were killed by gunfire, so I understand the anguish and the pain of losing a loved one to gun violence. We must figure out a way to deal with it but talking about taking people’s guns away at this point in history is not a solution.”
On red flag laws: “I don’t think you should be able to call the police in this country and tell on your neighbors. I’m just uncomfortable with it.
