Topics in the News: Second Amendment
Donald Trump on Gun Control
: Oct 17, 2024
It's the person pulling the trigger; it's not the gun
We have a Second Amendment and right to bear arms essentially, and I'm very strongly an advocate of that. I think that if you ever tried to get rid of it, you wouldn't be able to do it. You wouldn't be able to take away the guns because people need that
for security. They need it for entertainment and for sports and other things, but they also in many cases need it for protection. Remember this, it's the person pulling the trigger. It's not the gun. It's the person pulling the trigger.
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Source: Univision Town Hall: Trump interview
Tim Walz on Gun Control
: Oct 2, 2024
Do you want your schools hardened to look like a fort?
TW: We understand that the Second Amendment is there, but our first responsibility is to our kids to figure this out. There are reasonable things that we can do to make a difference. It's not infringing on your Second Amendment.
But I ask all of you out there, do you want your schools hardened to look like a fort? Is that what we have to do, when we know there's countries around the world that their children aren't practicing these types of drills? They're being kids.
JDV: I unfortunately think that we have to increase security in our schools. We have to make the doors lock better. We have to make the doors stronger. We've got to make the windows stronger. We've got to increase school resource officers because the
idea that we can magically wave a wand and take guns out of the hands of bad guys, it just doesn't fit with recent experience. We've got to make our schools safer, and I think we've got to have some common sense, bipartisan solutions for how to do that.
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Source: 2024 Vice Presidential debate: Tim Walz vs. JD Vance
Kamala Harris on Gun Control
: Jun 18, 2024
We need red flag laws & school mental health counselors
I'm in favor of the Second Amendment. I also believe there is no reason why we have assault weapons on the streets of America. They are weapons of war. We need an assault weapons ban.I'm in favor of the Second Amendment, and we need universal
background checks. I'm in favor of the Second Amendment, and we need red flag laws.
And we need the people in the United States Congress to have the courage to stand up to the gun lobbyists and take action around what is just reasonable.
Universal
background checks--you just might want to know before someone can buy a lethal weapon if they've been found to be a danger to themselves or others. So, there are solutions. And that's part of the work that I'm doing with the White House Gun Violence
Prevention Office is to work on those solutions, including what we have recently done through that office, which is to put a billion dollars into hiring mental health counselors in our public schools to help address the mental health aspect of this.
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Source: Vice Presidential 2024 press release: "Gun Violence"
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Gun Control
: Oct 9, 2023
Common sense gun control, and assault weapons ban
Kennedy has stated that he supports "common sense" gun control, but has also said that he would not "take away anybody's guns." He has explained his position saying "I'm a constitutional absolutist. We can argue about whether the
Second Amendment was intended to protect guns. That argument has now been settled by the Supreme Court." Kennedy also expressed support for a bipartisan assault weapons ban.
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Source: Wikipedia "Riverkeeper" on 2023 Presidential hopefuls
Chase Oliver on Civil Rights
: Sep 25, 2023
I'm armed and gay: armed gays are harder to bash
Oliver is running for president on a platform emphasizing immigration and criminal justice reforms as a man who is both pro-police reform and pro-choice. He is also pro-Second Amendment, describing himself as an "armed and gay"
Libertarian who owns a .38 special revolver. "Armed gays are harder to bash," Oliver told the small crowd at Hoosier Brewing in Old Town Greenwood.
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Source: Franklin (IN) Daily Journal on 2023 Presidential hopefuls
Perry Johnson on Foreign Policy
: Aug 11, 2023
Ridiculous to send $113B to Ukraine when we're going broke
I am pro-life, pro second amendment, anti woke, anti-China.
And by the way, I think it's ridiculous that we are sending $113 billion to the Ukraine when we're going broke here.
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Source: C-SPAN coverage of 2023 Presidential hopefuls
Nikki Haley on Gun Control
: May 7, 2023
Expanded concealed carry rights to bars and restaurants
Nikki is a strong defender of the Second Amendment and fought to protect gun owners' rights as governor. In 2012, she signed a bill that repealed many of the state's outdated anti-gun laws. She signed reciprocity legislation with
Georgia, expanded concealed carry rights to bars and restaurants, and backed the Constitutional Carry Act that would have eliminated the state's permitting and training requirements for gun owners.
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Source: 2024 Presidential campaign website NikkiHaley.com
Vivek Ramaswamy on Gun Control
: Apr 14, 2023
The Second Amendment is our last line of defense
The Second Amendment is our last line of defense. You know who knew that? Our Founding Fathers knew it. The first shots that were fired in Lexington and Concord was because the British monarchy came to take the guns of the colonists. They came to take
the guns because they knew where the guns and bullets were stored. Think of that gun registry today. The Founding Fathers said, what the British monarchy did to us, we will create a government to make sure that government never does it to you.
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Source: C-SPAN on 2024 Presidential hopefuls
Perry Johnson on Gun Control
: Mar 3, 2023
I am pro-Second Amendment; I am pro-freedom
Johnson also shared a longer video of his remarks at CPAC on his own Twitter account. It had been posted by conservative outlet Real America's Voice.
In those remarks, Johnson said: "I am pro-life. I am pro-Second Amendment. I am pro-family. I am pro-freedom and let's face it, I am anti-China."
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Source: Newsweek on 2024 Presidential hopefuls, "CPAC/Putin"
Chase Oliver on Gun Control
: Oct 18, 2022
Pink Pistols: no red flag laws; no gun confiscation
Q: Balancing constitutional rights, what can be done to address mass shootings and gun violence?A: I'm a proud gun owner and I respect the 2nd Amendment. A lot of gun laws in this country come from a place of historical oppression and, frankly, racism
and bigotry. I think people should have the right to defend themselves if they so choose. Now, how do we address gun violence? The truth is, we've always had guns in this country. You're not going to address gun violence [by] gun confiscation or passing
unconstitutional red flag laws that do away with people's due process. The way we address gun violence is we have to address the culture of violence in our society, and that's not something you can do with a piece of legislation. At the end of the day,
I'm not going to support red flag laws; I'm not going to support gun confiscation. I'm going to stand up for people's right to defend themselves. I'm a member of the Pink Pistols: armed gays are harder to oppress and they're harder to bash.
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Source: Atlanta Press Club debate: 2022 Georgia Senate race
Joe Biden on Gun Control
: Feb 26, 2020
I go skeet-shooting, badly, and my sons go bird-hunting
Q: How do you propose to sell your gun reform ideas to those who either own a gun or feel strongly about protecting Second Amendment rights?BIDEN: I taught constitutional law. No amendment is absolute. None of you can stand up--[despite] the First
Amendment on free speech--and yell "fire" here; you'd be arrested. From the very beginning, the founders said, not everyone is able to have a gun and you can't have any weapon you want. That has simply never been the case. There are limitations.
I happen to have a 12-gauge shotgun and a 20-gauge shotgun, because--I haven't done it in a long time--but I skeet shoot. And I'm not very good at it, I might add. But my sons, they bird hunt. They haven't in a while. The point of the matter
is that from the very beginning you're not allowed to have any weapon you want. This idea that you're going to need an AR-15 or any other assault weapon or you need any clip, any clip that has a hundred rounds in it, is absolutely bizarre.
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Source: CNN S. C. Town Hall for 2020 Presidential primary
Marianne Williamson on Gun Control
: Apr 14, 2019
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.
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Source: CNN Town Hall 2020 Democratic primary
Kamala Harris on Gun Control
: Jan 29, 2019
No reason we have assault weapons in a civil society
While fielding a question about gun violence, Harris called out Congress for the lack of gun control legislation. She even suggested "harsh" means to encourage Congress to introduce a new bill. Harris started her discussion about gun reform by saying:
"You can be in favor of the second amendment and also understand that there is no reason in a civil society that we have assault weapons around communities that can kill babies and police officers."
Harris became even more impassioned while discussing the inaction by congress following the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting that took the lives of 20 children between the ages 6 and 7. She said: "I think somebody should have
required all those members of Congress to go in a room, in a locked room, no press, nobody else, and look at the autopsy photographs of those babies. And then you vote your conscience."
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Source: Yahoo Entertainment Video on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Donald Trump on Gun Control
: Mar 28, 2018
Remove weapons from dangerous individuals, not all Americans
President Donald Trump dismissed retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens' call to repeal the Second Amendment. Stevens, 97, moved by the March for Our Lives last weekend that drew hundreds of thousands of protesters across the country calling
for action to end gun violence, penned an op-ed published in The New York Times.Trump tweeted, "THE SECOND AMENDMENT WILL NEVER BE REPEALED! As much as Democrats would like to see this happen, and despite the words yesterday of former
Supreme Court Justice Stevens, NO WAY. We need more Republicans in 2018 and must ALWAYS hold the Supreme Court!"
When asked if Trump had a reaction to Stevens' call for repeal, Trump's press secretary
said, "We think that the focus has to remain on removing weapons from dangerous individuals, not on blocking all Americans from their constitutional rights."
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Source: ABC News on Twitter posting by 2018 Trump Administration
Donald Trump on Principles & Values
: Jan 30, 2018
Judges should just interpret law, like religious liberty
For the last year we have sought to restore the bonds of trust between our citizens and their Government. Working with the Senate, we are appointing judges who will interpret the Constitution as written, including a great new Supreme
Court Justice, and more circuit court judges than any new administration in the history of our country. We are defending our Second Amendment, and have taken historic actions to protect religious liberty.
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Source: 2018 State of the Union address
Donald Trump on Principles & Values
: Mar 2, 2017
Supports religious liberty, and the motto, "In God We Trust"
Every day, we're restoring common sense and the timeless values that unite us all. We believe in the Constitution and the rule of law. We believe in the First Amendment right. And we believe in religious liberty.
And we believe strongly in the Second Amendment and the right to keep and bear arms which is under siege, folks. They have a lot of plans.
It's under siege. Be careful. But I'll protect you, I promise you that. I'll protect you. Because it all has to come through my office. And we hopefully are going to be here for six more years, so you're in good shape.
We believe in the American Dream, not in the socialist nightmare. And we believe in the words of our national motto: In God We Trust.
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Source: Speech at the 2019 CPAC Convention
Donald Trump on Gun Control
: Oct 19, 2016
We need Supreme Court to stand up for the 2nd Amendment
We need a Supreme Court that in my opinion is going to uphold the Second Amendment, and all amendments, but the Second Amendment, which is under absolute siege. I believe if my opponent should win this race, which I truly don't think will happen, we
will have a Second Amendment which will be a very, very small replica of what it is right now. But I feel that it's absolutely important that we uphold, because of the fact that it is under such trauma. The justices that I'm going to appoint will be
pro-life. They will have a conservative bent. They will be protecting the Second Amendment. They are great scholars in all cases, and they're people of tremendous respect. They will interpret the Constitution the way the founders wanted it interpreted.
And I believe that's very, very important.I don't think we should have justices appointed that decide what they want to hear. It's all about the Constitution the way it was meant to be. And those are the people that I will appoint.
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Source: Third 2016 Presidential Debate in Las Vegas
Jill Stein on Government Reform
: Oct 10, 2016
Supreme Court needs to be for the people and their rights
Donald Trump: I am looking to appoint judges very much in the mold of Justice Scalia. I'm looking for judges that will respect the Constitution of the United States. And the Second Amendment which is totally under siege.
Jill Stein: We need Supreme Court justices who are ready to stand up for everyday people. That means to end the stranglehold that big money has on our political system.
That means not only overturning Citizens United, but supporting that money is not speech and that corporations are not people. We need strong support for our rights as voters.
The Supreme Court needs to be strongly in support of women's rights, the rights of immigrants, workers' rights and LGBTQ rights.
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Source: Democracy Now expanded Second 2016 Presidential Debate
Donald Trump on Gun Control
: Oct 9, 2016
Appoint Supreme Court judges who respect 2nd amendment
Q: What would you prioritize as the most important aspect of selecting a Supreme Court justice?TRUMP: People that will respect the US Constitution. Also, the Second Amendment, which is totally under siege by people like Clinton. They'll respect the
Second Amendment and what it stands for, what it represents.
CLINTON: I respect the Second Amendment. But I believe there should be comprehensive background checks, and we should close the gun show loophole, and close the online loophole.
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Source: Second 2016 Presidential Debate at Washington University
Mike Pence on Principles & Values
: Aug 1, 2016
OpEd: More conservative than Trump on many domestic issues
| Issue | Trump | Pence |
|---|
| Gun rights | Exceptions & local restrictions ok | Hard-core pro-Second Amendment |
|---|
| War on Drugs | Cautious approach following states | Hard-core
drug warrior |
|---|
| Infrastructure investment | Invest in transportation infrastructure | Opposes federal investment; leave it to states |
|---|
| Campaign finance | Mixed views on reform |
Campaign donation limits are censorship |
|---|
| Tax reduction | Creative ideas including raising some taxes | No-new-taxes pledge on all taxation |
|---|
| Minimum wage & affirmative action | Some support of both |
Unambiguously opposes both |
|---|
| Gay marriage Supreme Court ruling | Accept it as the law of the land | Overturn that ruling |
|---|
| Iraq War | Opposed invasion | Supported invasion |
|---|
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Source: Trump/Pence vs. Clinton/Kaine On the Issues, by Jesse Gordon
Mike Pence on Abortion
: Jul 20, 2016
Need Supreme Court justices who uphold Constitution
This election will define the Supreme Court for the next 40 years. We all had better think very carefully about what this means for our Constitution and limited government. For the sake of the rule of law, for the sake of the sanctity of life, for the
sake of our Second Amendment, and for the sake of all our other God-given liberties, we must ensure that the next president appointing justices to the Supreme Court is Donald Trump.
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Source: Speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention
Donald Trump on Gun Control
: Jan 14, 2016
No limits on guns; they save lives
Q: Are there any circumstances that you think we should be limiting gun sales of any kind in America?TRUMP: No. I am a 2nd amendment person. If we had guns in California on the other side where the bullets went in the different direction,
you wouldn't have 14 or 15 people dead right now. If even in Paris, if they had guns on the other side, going in the opposite direction, you wouldn't have 130 people plus dead. So the answer is no and what Jeb said is absolutely correct.
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Source: Fox Business 2016 Republican 2-tier debate
Chris Christie on Gun Control
: Jan 14, 2016
Executive Orders on guns isn't democracy; it's dictatorship
The president wants to do things without the consent of the people. That's not a democracy. That's a dictatorship. I don't think the founders put the Second Amendment as number two by accident. I think they made the Second Amendment the second amendment
because they thought it was just that important. In New Jersey, what we have done is to make it easier to get a concealed carry permit. We've done it through regulatory action, not signing unconstitutional executive orders.
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Source: Fox Business Republican 2-tier debate
Donald Trump on Gun Control
: Nov 22, 2015
Keep enemies of the state away from guns
Q: You've talked about wanting to keep the terror watch list but, under current law, individuals on the terror watch list and the no-fly list have been allowed to buy guns and explosives. Are you OK with that?
TRUMP: We have to have a watch list, but we have the laws already on the books as far as Second Amendment for guns, if people are on a watch list or people are sick, this is already covered in the legislation that we already have,
Q: But under current law people on the watch list are allowed to buy guns.
TRUMP: If somebody is on a watch list and an enemy of state and we know it's an enemy of state, I would keep them away, absolutely.
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Source: ABC This Week 2015 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Donald Trump on Gun Control
: Oct 11, 2015
Gun ownership makes US safer, not more dangerous
Q: You have a concealed weapons permit. Why?TRUMP: Because I like to have myself protected.
Q: In the context of current gun violence, would you advise people to get that?
TRUMP: Well, I'm a big Second Amendment person. As an example, for the horrible thing that just took place in Oregon had somebody in that room had a gun, the result would have been better.
Q: So, should people get armed the way you are?
TRUMP: Well, that's up to them.
Q: What about teachers?
TRUMP: I think that if you had the teacher, assuming they knew how use a weapon, which hopefully they would, you would have been a lot better wh
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Source: CBS Face the Nation 2015 interview by Bob Schieffer
Donald Trump on Gun Control
: Sep 20, 2015
Protect the Second Amendment, but address mental health
Q: You recently released a plan cast as protecting the Second Amendment, but you have also said that you think more needs to be done on the issue of mental health when it comes to people who are disturbed getting guns. Do you support the
California law allowing judges to confiscate someone's gun if they are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others?A: This is something to look into--people with mental health problems are on the streets who shouldn't be.
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Source: CNN SOTU 2015 interview series: 2016 presidential hopefuls
Donald Trump on Gun Control
: Jul 26, 2015
Take guns from good people & bad people have target practice
Q: [With regards to a shooting in Lafayette, Louisiana] we have another case of someone with well-established mental health problems somehow able to legally buy a gun. What do you think needs to be done to stop this?A: These are sick people.
This has nothing to do with guns, this has to do with the mentality of these people. I'm a big Second Amendment person. I believe in it so strongly, and if you take the guns away from the good people, and the bad ones are going to have target practice.
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Source: CNN SOTU 2015 interview series: 2016 presidential hopefuls
Donald Trump on Gun Control
: Jun 16, 2015
A very strong person on the Second Amendment
What does Donald Trump believe? Gun Control: Limit restrictions on guns. Ban some assault weapons & extend the waiting period for purchase.During a 2013 interview, the real estate mogul defined himself as, "a very strong person on the 2nd Amendment."
He believes guns are necessary for self-defense and has written that he generally opposes gun control. In his 2000 book, "The America We Deserve" Trump wrote that he supports a ban on assault weapons and a slightly longer waiting period to buy a gun.
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Source: PBS News Hour "2016 Candidate Stands" series
Corey Stapleton on Gun Control
: Jun 6, 2013
Uphold our right to bear arms
I will do everything that is in my capacity to uphold our right to bear arms.
I will not support any legislation that would infringe on our Second Amendment rights.
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Source: 2014 Senate campaign website www.coreystapleton.com: Issues
Jill Stein on Gun Control
: Oct 16, 2012
More local regulations; more background checks
Q: At the DNC in 2008, you stated you wanted to keep AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. How will you limit the availability of assault weapons?OBAMA: We're a nation that believes in the Second Amendment. So, my belief is that we have to enforce the
laws we've already got. But weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters don't belong on our streets.
STEIN: We certainly need an assault weapons ban, but we need more than that. There are some 260 people every day who are injured or killed
by gun violence, so it's very important that we ban assault weapons, for starters, but there are other steps that need to be taken quickly. Local communities need to be able to regulate guns, as needed, to deal with their violence. 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, because there's far too much violence from guns, which is not needed.
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Source: Democracy Now! Expanded Second Obama-Romney 2012 debate
Mike Pence on Gun Control
: Oct 5, 2012
Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental, individual right
While serving in Congress, Mike Pence signed the historic brief filed in McDonald v. City of Chicago, which argued that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental, individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms for all law-abiding Americans. Pence cosponsored
HR822, "The National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act," which would ensure that law-abiding Americans with valid concealed handgun permits would be able to carry a concealed handgun in any other state that does not prohibit concealed carry.
He also cosponsored HR645, "The Second Amendment Enforcement Act," to repeal the DC gun ban/registration statute and restore the right of self-defense to law-abiding residents of our nation's capital. In addition, Pence cosponsored and voted for the
"Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act," which protected American gun makers from being sued into bankruptcy, and cosponsored and voted for the "Disaster Recovery Personal Protection Act," which prohibits gun confiscation during states of emergency.
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Source: National Rifle Assoc. Political Victory Fund endorsement
Tim Scott on Gun Control
: Nov 2, 2010
Second Amendment is cornerstone of our democracy
A proud member of the NRA, Tim supports the right of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms, and to defend themselves, their family and their property.
Tim will protect our Second Amendment rights, which he believes is a fundamental freedom and a cornerstone of our democracy.
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Source: 2010 House campaign website, votetimscott.com, "The Issues"
Nikki Haley on Gun Control
: May 2, 2010
Founding fathers gave us the absolute right to bear arms
The right to bear arms was deemed so critical by our Founders that they spelled it out in absolute terms, and it is my belief that any governmental action that undermines that right is in turn undermining the very freedoms that built our great nation.
I hold a Concealed Weapons Permit myself, and in this state we have issues that make it difficult for CWP holders to carry. As governor, I will continue to fight against any government infringement on the 2nd Amendment.
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Source: 2010 Gubernatorial campaign website nikkihaley.com, "Issues"
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