Interviews during 2018-2020: on Gun Control
Andrew Yang:
Help gun owners "personalize" guns free of charge
"You're more likely to have a child or the owner get shot than to kill an intruder into the house." The answer to the problem would be to have "personalized" guns that prevent anybody but the owner from firing the weapon. "If we can convince Americans
that personalized guns are a good idea then--if the child gets ahold of the gun then they can't do anything with it," he said. "One of my proposals is to help gun owners upgrade their guns to personalized guns free of charge."
Source: Slate.com on 2020 Democratic primary
Aug 11, 2019
Tom Steyer:
Register young voters to push for gun reform now
On gun violence, NextGen America partnered with Everytown For Gun Safety to organize a voter drive for high school students following the 2018 shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in
Florida. "If [Trump] won't enact the kind of reform necessary to protect our children, that's just another reason he's got to go," Steyer said in a Facebook announcement at the time, calling for young voters to push for "gun reform now."
Source: PBS News Hour 2019 coverage of 2020 Democratic primary
Jul 10, 2019
Joe Sestak:
Reform background checks to keep guns out of wrong hands
Sestak wishes to close the gun show loophole and re-institute the assault weapons ban.
He also wants to make changes to National Instant Criminal Background Check System "to ensure guns stay out of the wrong hands."
Source: Townhall.com on 2020 Democratic primary
Jul 9, 2019
Wayne Messam:
No guns for mentally ill, domestic abusers, watch lists
He proposes restrictions on firearm access. He does not propose taking away everyone's guns, but he does want to empower law enforcement officials to thoroughly ensure people suffering from mental illness,
people on national security watch lists, and those with records of domestic abuse cannot access firearms in any way.
Source: Vox.com on 2020 Democratic primary
Jul 2, 2019
Cory Booker:
14-part gun control plan, with criminal enforcement
Booker was asked on CNN about his gun control proposals: "Rep. Eric Swalwell has also, like you, proposed an assault weapons ban. He's proposing a buyback program where Americans could essentially sell these guns to the government, but if they don't,
within a certain period of time, they would be prosecuted--thrown in jail, perhaps. Are you supportive of the same?"Booker responded affirmatively that the law would be enforced with criminal sanctions after a "reasonable period." He had said earlier:
"The critical thing is that these weapons of war should not be on our streets." Earlier in the day, Booker unveiled a 14-part gun control plan, which included a ban on assault weapons including high capacity magazines. "The biggest thing in the proposal
is a national gun licensing program, which would force Americans to apply for 5-year gun licenses before obtaining a firearm. The process would include fingerprinting, an interview, gun safety courses, and a federal background check," Booker said.
Source: Washington Examiner on 2020 Democratic primary
May 6, 2019
Eric Swalwell:
Assault weapon buyback program, with criminal enforcement
Cory Booker was asked on CNN about his gun control proposals: "Your competitor in the 2020 race, Congressman Eric Swalwell has also, like you, proposed an assault weapons ban. He's proposing a buyback program where Americans who currently have those
guns could sell them essentially to the government, but if they don't, within a certain period of time, they would be prosecuted--thrown in jail, perhaps. Are you supportive of the same?"
Booker responded affirmatively that the law would be enforced with criminal sanctions after a "reasonable period." He had said earlier: "The critical thing is, I think most Americans agree, that these weapons of
war should not be on our streets." Earlier in the day, Booker unveiled a 14-part gun control plan, which included a ban on assault weapons including high capacity magazines.
Source: Washington Examiner on 2020 Democratic primary
May 6, 2019
Eric Swalwell:
Be big; be bold; do good; gun control
Key criticisms of Swalwell:- One-issue campaign: Swalwell is going all in on gun control, which could appear as a one-dimensional campaign while other key 2020 issues are on the table.
-
One fun thing about Swalwell:
- His campaign slogan is "Be big. Be bold. Do good."
Source: Axios.com on 2020 Democratic primary
Apr 22, 2019
Wayne Messam:
Sued state of Florida to allow municipal gun control
Messam has worked to enact local gun regulations in Miramar to make a 5,000-seat amphitheater in the city gun-free.
He, along with 5 other mayors, sued Florida Gov. Rick Scott last year to eliminate a state law that penalizes local officials if they enact municipal gun regulations.
Source: Axios.com on 2020 Democratic primary
Apr 22, 2019
Marianne Williamson:
Gun laws are driven by profits of gun manufacturers
In terms of guns, I certainly understand that it's a Second Amendment right. And we know that our gun policies in the United States are not driven by Second Amendment. That's just an illusion. We don't have commonsense gun safety legislation because,
God forbid, it should cut into the short-term profits of gun manufacturers. That is immoral. The majority of the American people want universal background checks. The majority of the American people want to outlaw bump stocks. The majority of the
American people want to get these military assault rifles out of the hands of the average citizen. And until the American people realize that we need to get rid of the nefarious influence of money on our political system, if you want commonsense
gun safety legislation, you're going to not only have to vote for a president who stands for that, you're going to have to vote for congresspeople who stand for that and senators who stand for that. This issue is in your hands, not just mine.
Source: CNN Town Hall 2020 Democratic primary
Apr 14, 2019
Wayne Messam:
Reduce gun violence by 50%
"Did you know that in Florida that mayors cannot even discuss gun safety? The governor can remove us from office, fine us $5,000, and our city can be exposed to lawsuits by anyone who says that any measures that we take violate their rights.
I decided to sue the state of Florida. I believe that cities should have a say whether we want to allow assault-style weapons in our parks. My goal is to reduce gun violence by 50 percent, and by the end of my administration to end it in total."
Source: WBUR FM (Boston) on 2020 Democratic primary
Apr 9, 2019
Eric Swalwell:
After mass shootings, time to make gun control an issue
Swalwell will center his campaign on gun control. Helping him do that will be Cameron Kasky, a survivor of the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Swalwell has written about
being inspired by the youth movement in his call to ban all assault weapons. "We are doing a town hall in Parkland," he told me. "And I do believe that gun safety has to be a top 2020 issue."
Source: The Atlantic, "Gun Safety," on 2020 Democratic primary
Apr 4, 2019
Tim Ryan:
Soured on NRA after Sandy Hook
Tim Ryan enjoyed an A rating from the National Rifle Association for years,
but claims to have soured on the organization after the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012.
Source: The Atlantic, "Rust Belt Yogi" on 2020 Democratic primary
Mar 15, 2019
Marianne Williamson:
Universal background checks including at gun shows
As president, she would support the elimination of the sale of semi-automatic firearms.
She would fight to ban bump stocks and require universal background checks, including at gun shows.
Source: Townhall.com: 2020 Democratic primary "Candidate profiles"
Mar 5, 2019
Pete Buttigieg:
Yes to gun control and universal background checks
As the mayor of South Bend, Buttigieg is a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a group that advocates for gun control legislation at the state and federal level.
He also supports universal background checks, and opposed allowing guns in schools and so-called "Stand Your Ground" self-defense gun laws.
Source: PBS Newshour on 2020 Democratic primary
Feb 15, 2019
Andrew Yang:
Make gun manufacturers liable for mass shootings
Yang has proposed holding gun manufacturers responsible for mass shootings by charging them $1 million per person killed in a public setting.
He also wants to raise the legal age of gun ownership from 18 to 21.
Source: Townhall.com: 2020 Democratic primary "Candidate profiles"
Feb 6, 2019
Bill de Blasio:
Gun laws are necessary to protect the city and ourselves
Mayor Bill de Blasio, responding to a reporter's question about the Supreme Court's decision to hear the case, said at a news conference on Tuesday that the city would vigorously defend its law [limiting residents from transporting their guns outside
the home]. "We, every single day, are working to make this the safest big city in America," he said. "We need the laws that we have that protect against guns being on our streets and we will fight to protect ourselves, that's the bottom line."
Source: N. Y. Times, "NYC Gun Law," on 2020 Democratic primary
Jan 22, 2019
Steve Bullock:
Supports background checks & semi-automatic ban
Just weeks before Bullock graduated from Columbia in 1994, his nephew--an 11-year-old attending a Butte elementary school--was shot and killed, then the youngest victim of a school shooting. It's an event that, until very recently, Bullock declined
to discuss in public. This May, however, following the Santa Fe school shooting in Texas, he wrote an op-ed pairing that experience with that of his son shooting his first deer during hunting season--both of which, he says, shape his thinking on gun
policy, which includes background checks, banning semiautomatic weapons, and rejecting plans to arm teachers in the classroom. It marked the first attempt to make gun control--a mostly verboten topic in Montana politics,
no matter one's affiliation--part of his platform, rooted in the sort of compelling personal experience that would resonate with national audiences.
Source: Buzzfeed.com on 2020 Democratic primary
Sep 29, 2018
Eric Swalwell:
Ban assault weapons and buy back as many as possible
Reinstating the federal assault weapons ban that was in effect from 1994 to 2004 would prohibit manufacture and sales, but it would not affect weapons already possessed. We should ban possession of military-style semiautomatic assault weapons, we should
buy back such weapons from all who choose to abide by the law, and we should criminally prosecute any who choose to defy it by keeping their weapons.
Source: Swalwell OpEd in USA Today for 2020 Democratic primary
May 3, 2018
Page last updated: Dec 01, 2021