The New York Times 2020s: on Gun Control


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

Kirsten Gillibrand: Ban bump stocks; reduce lobbying power of NRA

An audience member asked Ms. Gillibrand what she would do to combat gun violence that previous presidents had not. The three points she suggested were longstanding goals of gun control advocates: universal background checks; a ban on bump stocks, high-capacity magazines and military-style firearms; and a federal law against gun trafficking. Ms. Gillibrand argued that she could achieve them by reducing the political power of the N.R.A.

She said she would do so by creating public financing for campaigns, though the N.R.A.'s power is not quite so simple: It comes not only from direct donations to candidates but also from its ability to mobilize a reliable base of single-issue voters. Ms. Gillibrand did not hold back in denouncing the N.R.A., which she called "the worst organization in this country."

Source: New York Times on 2019-2020 Fox News Town Halls Jun 2, 2019

Nicholas Kristof: No strong evidence that assault weapons ban saved lives

I'm not sure it's possible to get any gun legislation through Congress right now, and certainly not a ban on assault weapons. It's also true that while liberals loved the assault weapons ban for the 10 years it was in effect, there is no strong evidence that it saved lives--but it did turn the AR-15 into a conservative icon, so that today there appear to be more AR and AK rifles in private hands than in the United States military. And most crime and deaths involve handguns, not rifles.
Source: The New York Times on 2022 Oregon Gubernatorial race Apr 3, 2021

Nicholas Kristof: Use executive action to crack down on ghost guns

President Biden can use executive action to crack down on "ghost guns," which avoid regulation and serial numbers because they are sold unfinished or as kits. We also need universal background checks, red flag laws, curbs on people with violent misdemeanor records acquiring weapons, and more. But given the difficulty of pushing meaningful gun safety legislation through Congress, I understand why Biden is focusing on infrastructure rather than firearms legislation.
Source: The New York Times on 2022 Oregon Gubernatorial race Apr 3, 2021

Nikki Fried: Holds medical marijuana card and concealed-weapons permit

Nikki Fried, Florida's agriculture commissioner, declared her candidacy for governor on Tuesday, casting herself as the Democratic Party's best option to defeat Ron DeSantis, the popular Republican incumbent, given her role as the only statewide elected Democrat. Before winning the 2018 election by just 6,753 votes, Ms. Fried, 43, worked as a Fort Lauderdale-based lawyer and medical marijuana lobbyist. She boasts that she holds both a medical marijuana card and a concealed-weapons permit.
Source: NYTimes.com on 2022 Florida Gubernatorial race Jun 1, 2021

  • The above quotations are from Media coverage of political races in The New York Times, 2019-2022.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Gun Control.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
2016 Presidential contenders on Gun Control:
  Republicans:
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Gov.Jim Gilmore(VA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Gov.George Pataki(NY)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI) 		Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Roseanne Barr(PF-HI)
Robert Steele(L-NY)
Dr.Jill Stein(G,MA)
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org!
Click for details -- or send donations to:
1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140
E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org
(We rely on your support!)

Page last updated: Aug 06, 2024