2018 MT Senate race: on Gun Control


Jon Tester: Supports background checks & banning bump stocks

Q: Support more restrictive gun control legislation? Restrict semi-automatic weapons?

Matt Rosendale (R): No. Second Amendment rights are non-negotiable. Mass shootings all involve mental illness & sites where guns have been banned.

Jon Tester (D): Backs Second Amendment rights, but would consider "background checks, banning bump stocks & making sure our databases are talking to one another."

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Montana Senate race Oct 9, 2018

Matt Rosendale: Second Amendment rights are non-negotiable

Q: Support more restrictive gun control legislation? Restrict semi-automatic weapons?

Matt Rosendale (R): No. Second Amendment rights are non-negotiable. Mass shootings all involve mental illness & sites where guns have been banned.

Jon Tester (D): Backs Second Amendment rights, but would consider "background checks, banning bump stocks & making sure our databases are talking to one another."

Source: 2018 CampusElect.org Issue Guide on Montana Senate race Oct 9, 2018

Jon Tester: AdWatch: Check if gun buyers are on terrorist watch-list

Matt Rosendale zeroed in on the Second Amendment record of his opponent Sen. Jon Tester: "Tester believes that we should have a national registration so that the people of Montana should have to ask permission before they purchase a gun, ask permission from the federal government."

We decided to investigate whether Tester supports a national gun registry. It turns out the opposite is true. A national gun registry [means] the government has a single, consolidated list of all guns and all gun owners across the country.

Rosendale's campaign pointed us to a vote Tester cast in favor of a 2015 amendment sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein that failed in the Senate. Feinstein sought to extend the FBI's [gun watch] list to those on the US government's consolidated terror watchlist. The Rosendale campaign's argument appears to be as follows: Because the terror watchlist has mistakenly listed innocent people, the watchlist could be used as a national gun registry. We rate this "Pants on Fire."

Source: PolitiFact.com fact-check on 2018 Montana Senate race Aug 21, 2017

Matt Rosendale: Don't check if gun buyers are on terrorist watch-list

Matt Rosendale zeroed in on the Second Amendment record of his opponent Sen. Jon Tester: "Tester believes that we should have a national registration so that the people of Montana should have to ask permission before they purchase a gun, ask permission from the federal government."

We decided to investigate whether Tester supports a national gun registry. It turns out the opposite is true. A national gun registry [means] the government has a single, consolidated list of all guns and all gun owners across the country.

Rosendale's campaign pointed us to a vote Tester cast in favor of a 2015 amendment sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein that failed in the Senate. Feinstein sought to extend the FBI's [gun watch] list to those on the US government's consolidated terror watchlist. The Rosendale campaign's argument appears to be as follows: Because the terror watchlist has mistakenly listed innocent people, the watchlist could be used as a national gun registry. We rate this "Pants on Fire."

Source: PolitiFact.com fact-check on 2018 Montana Senate race Aug 21, 2017

  • The above quotations are from 2018 Montana Senate race: debates and news coverage.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Gun Control.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Jon Tester on Gun Control.
Candidates and political leaders on Gun Control:

Democrats running for President:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)

2020 Third Party Candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI)
CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV)
Howie Hawkins (G-NY)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Howard Schultz(I-WA)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN)
Republicans running for President:
Sen.Ted Cruz(R-TX)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Gov.John Kasich(R-OH)
V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY)

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Dec 27, 2019