Gun Control: Where Do The 2016 Presidential Candidates Stand?
In the wake of the Oregon shooting at Umpqua Community College, which claimed the lives of 10 students and left nine injured, a debate on gun control has swept across the country. The tragedy comes during the 2016 election cycle, putting the gun control positions of the presidential candidates on the spot.
So, where do the most popular 2016 presidential candidates stand on gun control? Take a look below.
Jeb Bush
Bush is against gun control.
He has received a backlash from Democrats after saying, “Stuff happens,” in response to the Umpqua Community College shooting at a South Carolina campaign event.
Bush supports instant background checks at gun shows, supports the “stand your ground” gun law, and favors concealed firearms, according to On the Issues.
He has an “A+” grade from the NRA.
“We’re in a difficult time in our country and I don’t think more government is necessarily the answer to this. I think we need to reconnect ourselves with everybody else. It’s very sad to see,” Bush said at the campaign event in South Carolina. “I had this challenge as governor, ’cause we had, look, stuff happens, there’s always a crisis.”
Carly Fiorina
Fiorina is against gun control.
She supports second amendment gun rights, opposes a ban for people on the no-fly list to buy guns, and opposed the 1994 assault weapons ban, according to On the Issues.
Fiorina has been given a pro-gun rights “AQ” grade by the NRA.
“We have loads of laws, and most of the time, criminals are breaking those laws and we are curtailing citizens’ lawful rights to carry guns,” Fiorina said during a 2010 debate with California Sen. Barbara Boxer. “The assault weapons ban is extremely arbitrary about what qualifies as an assault weapon.”
Donald Trump
Trump says he’s against gun control, but is for an assault weapons ban, according to On the Issues.
Trump told CBS he thinks the Second Amendment should be protected, and that mental health programs — not gun control — should result from the Umqua Community College shooting.
He has not been graded by the NRA.
“It’s often argued that the American murder rate is high because guns are more available here than in other countries. Democrats want to confiscate all guns,” Trump said according to The America We Deserve. “Which is a dumb idea because only the law-abiding citizens would turn in their guns and the bad guys would be the only ones left armed. The Republicans walk the NRA line and refuse even limited restrictions”
Ben Carson
Carson is against gun control.
He believes the Second Amendment’s guarantee of gun rights should be left unaltered, law-abiding citizens shouldn’t have to register their guns, and that automatic weapons should be permitted in the countryside but not cities, according to On the Issues.
He has not been graded by the NRA.
“I would never advocate anything to interfere with Second Amendment rights,” Carson said to Breitbart. “We have to keep in mind that law-abiding American citizens absolutely should have gun rights.”
Hillary Clinton
Clinton supports gun control.
In 2000, she supported a national gun registry, and she believes that local police should be able to track gun information, that states and cities should be allowed to decide their own gun laws, that lawsuits against gun manufacturers over gun violence should be legal, and that assault weapons should be kept off the streets, according to On the Issues.
Clinton has been given an “F” grade by the NRA.
“We’ve got to rein in what has become an almost article of faith that anybody can have a gun anywhere, anytime,” Clinton said to the WSJ in 2014. “And I don’t believe that is in the best interest of the vast majority of people.”
Bernie Sanders
Sanders is for gun control.
Sanders wants to ban assault weapons, is pro-hunting, voted to ban gun magazines which carry 10 bullets or more, has voted to allow firearms in checked baggage on AmTrak, and doesn’t support lawsuits against gun manufacturers for “product misuse,” according to On the Issues.
He has been given an “F” grade by the NRA.
“I think the vast majority of the American people, as the president indicated, including gun owners — and I know that’s true here in Vermont — want sensible gun control legislation,” Sanders said on MSNBC. “They also believe that we should have more access to mental health facilities and counselors than we presently do.”
Joe Biden
Although not formally in the race, donors have told CBS that Biden will likely announce his bid for the presidency in the next seven to 10 days. Biden supports the assault weapons ban, wants to increase background checks, believes lawsuits against gun manufacturers over gun violence should be legal, and wants to close a loophole allowing assault weapons at gun shows, according to On the Issues.
He has been given an “F” grade by the NRA.
“If we did that poll a week before Sandy Hook, my guess is you wouldn’t have 90% of the American people. We’ve won the battle with the American public on this, not just on background checks but on magazines, on assault weapons, etc,” Biden said to Rolling Stone in 2013. “This is a case where the public is way ahead of Congress. There has been a seminal shift in the attitude of the American public toward gun safety.”
[Header Image via Richard Ellis / Getty Images]
