issues2000

More headlines: George W. Bush on Gun Control

(Following are older quotations. Click here for main quotations.)


Bush says Gore is more a member of NRA than Bush is

In a speech to the Association of Health Care Journalists, Gore said, “Bush has convinced the NRA that he wants to take the gun lobbyists out of the lobby & put them right into the Oval Office.” Gore’s point was that gun violence was straining the health care system, to the tune of $2.3 billion annually, and that Bush was so deeply in the pocket of the gun lobby that he could not recognize this problem.

Bush dismissed those accusations. “I make my positions on what I think is right. I’ll make the decisions as to what goes on in the White House,“ he said. Repeating an accusation he has made before, Bush said: ”I’ve never been a member of the NRA. Gore has been, if I’m not mistaken.“

This accusation momentarily befuddled both campaigns, neither of which could find evidence that Gore had belonged to the gun lobby. A Bush spokesman said Bush might have been referring to an NRA official saying that Gore had once been so opposed to gun control that he could have been the poster boy for it.

Source: Katharine Q. Seelye, New York Times, p. A20 May 5, 2000

Agrees with Gore on trigger locks;but wants more enforcement

Source: Associated Press in Los Angeles Times Apr 21, 2000

$1.6M TX campaign, “Gun Crime Means Hard Time.”

Announced he was allocating $1.6 million in state funds to a new initiative to crack down on gun crime. Bush said $1.28 million will be used to pay for the appointment of eight special prosecutors who will vigorously prosecute criminals who use guns within the framework of existing laws. Another $360,000 will be used to fund a public awareness campaign aimed at reducing gun violence under the slogan “Gun Crime Means Hard Time.”
Source: Hilary Hylton, Reuters Sep 21, 1999

Concealed Carry needed in our dangerous society

With many Americans alarmed by the proliferation of guns, Bush defended his support for legislation in Texas that allows a person to carry a concealed weapon. “We live in a dangerous society,” Bush said. “People feel like they need to defend themselves.. We need to know who they are and they should be licensed and trained.” He added that the concealed-carry law addresses “the act of someone protecting themselves as opposed to the purchasing and spread of guns.”
Source: Dan Balz, The Washington Post Apr 25, 1999

Ban machine guns; maintain existing gun restrictions

Source: Vote Smart NPAT 1998 Jul 2, 1998

Other candidates on Gun Control: George W. Bush on other issues:
George W. Bush
Dick Cheney

Republican Possibilities:
George Allen
Jeb Bush
Bill Frist
Rudy Giuliani
John McCain
Mitt Romney

Democratic Possibilities:
Evan Bayh
Hillary Clinton
Howard Dean
John Edwards
Russ Feingold
Al Gore
John Kerry
Joe Lieberman
Al Sharpton
Mark Warner

Third Party Possibilities:
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