In case you missed it, the Miami Herald enumerates major presidential candidates’ stances on the issue of Second Amendment rights (Hat Tip to NRA-ILA). Some of the responses surprised me. Here’s my views on the Second Amendment positions taken by these candidates:
Acceptable:
Barack Obama – perhaps this is the ONLY view Obama has that is acceptable
Bill Richardson – if Democrats are to be accepted in the wild west, they approve of guns
Sam Brownback – consistently agrees with NRA positions
Jim Gilmore – tough on criminals but needs to be a bit tougher
Mike Huckabee – supports concealed-carry and most other sane positions
Duncan Hunter – widely supported by NRA-types
John McCain – a Second Amendment supporter but has other ‘issues’
Ron Paul – consistently agrees with NRA positions
Tom Tancredo – right on guns and border enforcement
No Clear Position:
Mike Gravel – (Who?)
Mitt Romney – seems to mostly be at odds with weapon owners rights
Tommy Thompson – no clear signals of support for owners, but supports penalizing gun violence
Unacceptable:
Joe Biden – blames the gun, it’s makers and does not blame gun-using criminals
Hillary Clinton – historically an enemy of Second Amendment rights
Chris Dodd – incoherently opposes guns or something like that
John Edwards – based on senate record, not on grandstanding VT shootings remarks
Dennis Kucinich – What can a Hobbit know about guns to oppose them altogether?
Rudy Giuliani – falls in lockstep with gun-grabbers
See below for a complete rundown on candidates’ positions:
Democrats:
- Joe Biden: Voted against preventing gun manufacturers from being sued. Earned an F from the NRA.
- Hillary Clinton: Made gun control a key issue of her 2000 campaign for the U.S. Senate, backing proposals to require the licensing and registering of all new handguns purchased in the United States.
- Chris Dodd: Voted for requiring background checks at gun shows. Said U.S. needs to look beyond guns to “issues of mental health, what’s on our television and video things.”
- John Edwards: Backed Democratic gun control measures when he was in the Senate, but said after the Virginia Tech shootings that he ‘believes that the Second Amendment protects gun ownership and that we must keep guns out of criminals’ hands.”
- Mike Gravel: Raised his hand during recent debate when asked if he had ever had a gun in his home.
- Dennis Kucinich: Rated an ”F” with the NRA. Supports requiring background checks, licensing and fingerprinting.
- Barack Obama: Said in a radio interview after the Virginia Tech shootings that he supported making it tougher for the mentally ill to own guns, but added, “I’m respectful of people who want to hunt or sportsmen, somebody who might want to have a gun in the house to protect their home.”
- Bill Richardson: Has said that gun ownership in the West is ”critically important” though he supports background checks to detect criminal activity.
Republicans:
- Sam Brownback: Voted against background checks at gun shows. Voted in favor of requiring gun makers and dealers to sell handguns with safety locks.
- Jim Gilmore: As governor of Virginia, touted a program called ”Project Exile,” which calls for mandatory minimum five-year sentences for gun-wielding felons.
- Rudy Giuliani: Lobbied for a federal ban on assault weapons. Criticized southern states as having lax restrictions on gun sales.
- Mike Huckabee: Said in a radio interview that a student or teacher carrying a concealed weapon might have reduced the death toll from the Virginia Tech shooting spree. A longtime hunter, Huckabee has consistently touted his support for concealed-weapon permits and his own license to carry.
- Duncan Hunter: The NRA endorsed him last year and gave his lifetime voting record an ”A.” Voted to protect gun makers from civil lawsuits.
- John McCain: Voted against background checks at gun shows and a ban on assault weapons. Voted in favor of requiring gun makers and dealers to sell handguns with safety locks.
- Ron Paul: Received high ratings and tens of thousands of dollars from pro-gun groups. Voted against background checks at gun shows.
- Mitt Romney: When he ran for Massachusetts governor in 2002, said he supported the state’s ”tough” gun laws, and later signed an assault weapon ban. Designated May 7, 2005, as ”The Right to Bear Arms Day” in the state.
- Tom Tancredo: Earned an endorsement last year from the NRA, which gave him an ”A” for his lifetime voting record on gun issues. Voted to protect gun makers from civil lawsuits.
- Tommy Thompson: As governor of Wisconsin, signed legislation that increased penalties for gun violence near schools.