On Jan. 5, President Barack Obama announced that he will implement a series of executive actions to regulate guns in the country. Some actions include expanding checks for buyers, requiring that individuals selling firearms are licensed gun dealers and mandating that all sellers keep formal sale records. Presidential candidates made the following statements about gun control.
- “We should never compromise the Second Amendment. Of course, we should be thinking about what we can do to keep dangerous weapons out of the hands of mentally unstable people. The two things are not incompatible.”—Ben Carson, in a “Meet the Press” interview with Chuck Todd in 2015
- “There are a lot of things we’ve gotta do in our country. Reigning in Wall Street is certainly one of them. I agree with that. That’s why I’ve got such a good plan. But we have to also go after the gun lobby. And 92 percent of Americans agree we should have universal background checks, close the gun show loophole… And I will do everything I can as president to get that accomplished.”—Hillary Clinton, in the Democratic Debate on Nov. 16
- “I feel that the gun-free zones and, you know, when you say that, that’s target practice for the sickos and for the mentally ill… They look around for gun-free zones. You know, we could give you another example — the Marines, the Army, these wonderful six soldiers that were killed. Two of them were among the most highly-decorated — they weren’t allowed on a military base to have guns. And somebody walked in and shot them, killed them. If they had guns, he wouldn’t be around very long. I can tell you, there wouldn’t have been much damage. So, I think gun-free zones are a catastrophe. They’re a feeding frenzy for sick people.”—Donald Trump, in the Republican Debate on Oct. 28
- “Florida is a pro-gun state. Gun violence has dropped. There’s a reason for it. We created a balance that’s focused on lowering gun violence, but protecting the Second Amendment, and it’s a model for many other countries and many other states because of that. These cases of people who are just mentally deranged — we as a society better figure out how we identify these folks long before they feel compelled to take up a gun and kill innocent people.”—Jeb Bush, during CNN coverage of presidential hopefuls on June 27
- “Before we start calling for more laws, I think we ought to consider why we don’t enforce the laws we have, and I think we need to know a little bit more about this incident… Well, let’s start with we know: a whole bunch of people who have guns and aren’t supposed to. They’re on a list, and yet we’re not doing anything about it. We’re not prosecuting them. Many murders are committed by people who are not supposed to have guns and who have guns. We know this. It’s a fact, and yet these people aren’t prosecuted.”—Carly Fiorina, in an interview with ABC’s Margaret-Ann Carter about the Roseburg, Oregon, school shooting
- “Obama can shamelessly try and exploit any tragedy he wants, but it’s clear that gun-free zones are sitting duck zones… His passion is grossly misplaced into destroying the Second Amendment. There were 50 shootings in Chicago the past two weekends, and this administration failed to utter a word. Gun violence is a problem in this country, but it’s not the fault of the Second Amendment; it’s the fault of evil people doing evil things.” – Mike Huckabee, on his Facebook page following the Oregon school shooting
- “The most poisonous force in American politics today is not the bad people who do bad things… It is the good people who do nothing… If the thousands of young men killed by gun violence every year across America were young, poor and white rather than young, poor and black, it is hard to imagine that our Congress would continue to block common-sense measures to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill.”—Martin O’Malley, at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in San Francisco
- “The Second Amendment to the Constitution isn’t for just protecting human rights, and it’s not only to safeguard your right to target practice… It is a constitutional right to protect your children, your family, your home, our lives and to serve as the ultimate check against governmental tyranny — for the protection of liberty.”—Ted Cruz, in an article in the New York Times
- “While the president did propose some reasonable measures, I’m disappointed, yet not surprised, to see so much emphasis on gun control and not enough on key contributors to mass shootings ― mental illness and the impact of the entertainment industry’s glorification of violence.”—Rick Santorum, in response to President Obama’s gun control recommendations in 2013
- “Protecting and preserving our constitutional freedoms is one of the most important things a governor can do. The Bill of Rights forbids the government from infringing on the freedoms unique to America, but that hasn’t deterred politicians who want to treat the Second Amendment as optional and strip us of the right to keep and bear arms. I will fight these attempts to get around the U.S. and Wisconsin Constitutions, and I will strive to protect our rights today and for future generations.”—Scott Walker, on his campaign website
- “There are two fundamental issues. The first is the issue of who should be kept from having guns and using firearms. A lot of them are criminals. And a lot of people who are getting killed are members of gangs inside our urban areas.” ―Jim Webb, on Democratic Primary Debate on Oct. 13
- “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.” –Jill Stein, on the expanded second Obama-Romney 2012 debate
- “I come from a state that has virtually no gun control. And yet, at political peril, I voted for an instant background check, which I want to see strengthened and expanded. I voted to ban certain types of assault weapons, which are designed only to kill people. I voted to end the so-called gun show loophole. What I think there needs to be is a dialogue. And here’s what I do believe: I believe what I call common-sense gun reform. Plus, a revolution in mental health, making sure that if people are having a nervous breakdown, or are suicidal, or homicidal, they get the care they need when they need it.”—Bernie Sanders, in a “Meet the Press” interview with Chuck Todd in 2015
- “My position on guns is pretty clear. I believe law-abiding people have a fundamental constitutional right to bear arms, and I believe criminals and dangerous people should not have access to guns. There are laws that protect those two things, but many of these [additional] gun laws are ineffective. They don’t do those things. They either infringe on the rights of law-abiding people or do nothing to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people… It should be about violence. Violence is the problem; guns are what they’re using.”—Marco Rubio, in the CNN SOTU 2013 interview series of presidential hopefuls
- “I’m very concerned about the mental health side of this. Let’s do some tough things on mental health, let’s make involuntary commitment of people who speak violently easier for doctors. I think that makes sense. But let’s remember something else, in many of the places around this country where they have the toughest gun laws, they have the highest violent crime rates. Violence in America that’s happened on our streets in our cities, like Chicago, up 19 percent, the murder rate. New York, up 11 percent. And you have some of the most aggressive gun laws in cities like that. So let’s enforce the law.”—Chris Christie, in an interview with ABC’s Martha Raddatz in 2015
- “As President, I vow to uphold our entire Bill of Rights, but specifically our right to bear arms. I will not support any proposed gun control law which would limit the right to gun ownership by those who are responsible, law-abiding citizens. In the White House, I will remain vigilant in the fight against infringements on our Second Amendment rights.”—Rand Paul, on his campaign website
- “I’m a Second Amendment advocate. I don’t believe the government should be taking guns from people. I think people have a right to be armed. It’s about keeping the Second Amendment, and it’s allowing legitimate gun owners to be able to do what they want, which is exercise their constitutional right.”—John Kasich, in a Fox news report in 2015
- “Gun control is not the answer… The real answer at this point is more community-based mental health, which is what I attempted to do as governor. But the main thing we have to do is be resolute about standing for the rights of all Americans, even in the face of criminal conduct that would create an excuse for diminishing those rights.”—Jim Gilmore, in an interview with CNN’s Poppy Harlow in 2015
- “If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns. The first people who are going to be in line to turn in their guns are law-abiding citizens. Criminals are going to be left with guns. I believe that concealed carry is a way or reducing gun violence.”—Gary Johnson, in an interview with “Playboy” magazine in 2000
