The 2024 GOP Platform Barely Mentions Gun Rights

The party's neglect of the issue is consistent with its domination by Donald Trump, who pays lip service to the Second Amendment but has never been a true believer.

The 2016 Republican Party platform, which condemned Democrats for proposing laws that would "eviscerate the Second Amendment," devoted three paragraphs to gun rights. The 2020 platform did not discuss the subject at all because there was no 2020 platform; the party instead promised to "enthusiastically support the President's America-first agenda." This time around, the Republican National Committee (RNC) did approve a platform. But as The Reload's Jake Fogleman notes, the RNC has excised any mention of the Second Amendment except for a passing reference.

That reference appears in a list of "twenty promises that we will accomplish
very quickly when we win the White House and Republican Majorities in the House and Senate." The seventh promise says Republicans will "defend our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and our fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms."

This cursory treatment of the Second Amendment is consistent with the reality that the current Republican Party wants whatever former President Donald Trump wants. Despite his lip service to the right of armed self-defense, Trump has never been a true believer, as his flirtation with the Democratic gun control agenda after the October 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas illustrated.

In addition to imposing a unilateral ban on bump stocks that was recently overturned by the Supreme Court, Trump met with members of Congress in February 2018 to discuss gun regulation. During that meeting, he spoke favorably of requiring background checks for all gun transfers, raising the minimum age for buying long guns, preemptively confiscating guns from people who might be dangerous, and even banning so-called assault weapons, to the visible delight of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D–Calif.).

Trump's receptiveness to those ideas dismayed the National Rifle Association (NRA), but it looked like a reversion to his actual opinions. In his 2000 book The America We Deserve, he staked out a middle ground on gun control between "the extremes" of the two major political parties.

"Democrats want to confiscate all guns, 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," Trump wrote. "The Republicans walk the NRA line and refuse even limited restrictions." By contrast, he said, "I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I also support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun."

By 2011, when Trump toyed with the idea of seeking the Republican presidential nomination, he was flatly declaring that "I am against gun control." Two years later, he described himself as "a very strong person on the Second Amendment."

Trump staked out a similar position during his 2016 race, calling himself "a big Second Amendment person," in contrast with then-President Barack Obama, "a non–Second Amendment person." Asked whether he supported new gun laws to prevent mass shootings, he replied, "The gun laws have nothing to do with this. This isn't guns. This is about really mental illness."

Were there "any circumstances" in which Trump would favor "limiting gun sales of any kind in America?" a moderator asked during a 2016 debate. Trump's response was unqualified: "No."

In reality, Trump did support some forms of gun control, including "red flag" laws and a ban on firearm possession by people on "no fly" lists. As president, he went so far as to say that the police should "take the gun first" and "go through due process second" when they think someone is dangerous.

Before he secured the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, in his 2015 book Great Again: How to Fix Our Crippled America, Trump (or his ghostwriter) waxed eloquent about the importance of the Second Amendment:

The fact that the Founding Fathers made it the Second Amendment, second only to our First Amendment freedoms of speech, religion, the press, and the right of assembly and to petition the government, shows that they understood how important the right to bear arms would be for all Americans…

We all enjoy this fundamental right in order to defend ourselves and our families. The Founding Fathers knew it was essential to a free society and passed this amendment to make sure the government could never take it (or our arms) away. Throughout history, we've seen oppressive governments consolidate and ensure their control over those they govern by taking away the means necessary for citizens to defend themselves…

The Second Amendment was created to make sure Americans could protect themselves from tyranny. There is no way we will change it.

Trump went on like that for a couple of pages. The platform approved by the Trump-dominated GOP manages just seven words. But if gun rights supporters are unhappy about that, they can hardly expect anything better from the Democrats.

In 2016, Democrats erased the Second Amendment from their platform, reverting to the approach they took in 2000 and earlier. The 2016 platform mentioned "the rights of responsible gun owners" but said nothing about the extent of those rights or the legal basis for them. The 2020 platform likewise did not mention the Second Amendment; it did not even mention "the rights of responsible gun owners." But it did include two paragraphs of gun control proposals aimed at "Ending the Epidemic of Gun Violence."

Like abortion opponents, Second Amendment advocates probably will feel they have no option but to support a Republican candidate who seems wishy-washy on their issue but is better than the alternative. "The Republican Party platform's downplaying of Second Amendment issues comes as the gun-rights movement finds itself in a precarious position politically," Fogleman writes. "As guns have become increasingly polarized along party lines, gun-rights supporters have found themselves reliant on Republicans for political support. President Joe Biden has made gun control a fixture of his tenure in office and is already campaigning on even more sweeping proposals, including a ban on sales of the popular AR-15, in a potential second term. At the same time, while the GOP's current standard-bearer has continued to seek the support of the National Rifle Association and make promises in speeches to the group, he has been fickle on gun policy at times."

Trump is not the only candidate in this race whose views on gun control have changed with the political winds. As a senator in 1985, speaking in favor of the Firearm Owners' Protection Act, Biden sounded like Trump circa 2000.

"I believe the compromises that are now a part of this bill have resulted in a balanced piece of legislation that protects the rights of private gun owners while not infringing on law enforcement's ability to deal with those who misuse guns or violate laws," Biden said. "During my twelve and a half years as a member of this body, I have never believed that additional gun control or federal registration of guns would reduce crime. I am convinced that a criminal who wants a firearm can get one through illegal, nontraceable, unregistered sources, with or without gun control."

Comments

[soldiermedic76]

I think, given the current state, a focus on the entirety of the Bill of Rights, rather than a narrow focus on the 2A is necessary. Under Biden and Obama we have seen a distinct restricting of all of our fundamental rights. I'm okay with the current focus on the entire Bill of Rights and I'm fairly hardcore 2A, lifetime member of the NRA since my 20s.

[soldiermedic76]

And no, Trump isn't perfect but he's far better than the other guy and his judicial picks have been a hell of a lot better than his predecessors and the current moron in chief.

[I, Woodchipper]

His judge picks alone were worth having him over hillary

[mad.casual]

It’s, once again, an astounding “BOAF SIDEZ!” by Sullum. Pointing at the RNC as alienating people by moving from a “hands at 10 and 2 position” on gun rights to a “one hand at the 12 position” while Joe and Hunter have careened DNC-mobile off the road, slammed it into a tree, and are arguing over who was supposed to be steering and who was navigating while mentally incapacitated from the passenger’s seat.

[soldiermedic76]

It's also fits with the narrative, e.g. that the Republican platform is to popular. The Guardian actually argued that the scariest thing about the Republican platform is that it is a winner (I love how the media is arguing, in a representative Republic that shaping your platform to what people want is a bad thing). Also, I'm pretty sure the Republican Platform mentions not just the 2A but the entire Bill of Rights more than the Democrats does. In fact, focusing on the entirety of the Bill of Rights, rather than picking and choosing which ones you support, actually is better in my opinion, but what do I know? Not like I take that oath I swore two days after turning 17 seriously.

[Mother's Lament]

It’s pathetic of the media as a whole and reason, but as a right wing libertarian, they’re anti pandering or rather trying to demoralize people like myself.

I’m already never voting again, so makes no difference to me. I’m only interested in exercising the 2nd going forward or giving up. Economic progressivism has triumphed on the left and the right and I don’t care at all about the social fight.
Democracy can fuck off when you’re part of an ideology with 1% support. Economic liberty is less popular than pedophilia.

[Beezard]

Poor Sarc? Or is it the other one?

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

They are all NPCs at the moment. Doesnt matter.

[sarcasmic]

When I was impersonated I was the bad guy for complaining about it.

When anyone else is impersonated I get accused of being the impersonator.

And I'm sure I'll be attacked for this comment.

[Chipper Chunked Chile Con Congress (ex NCW)]

But seriously, fuck The Grauniad.

[Gaear Grimsrud]

I know it would make Jacob a little queasy but you'd think that strategically and reluctantly he would mention the far greater threat to the republic. Nah.

[I, Woodchipper]

The bumpstock banner, the 'take the guns first'er is no friend of the 2nd amendment, that much is true.

[soldiermedic76]

Probably not, but neither was the Shrub and his judicial picks gave us Heller and McDonald. And Trump's judicial picks overturned his bump stock ban, it's almost like Sullum forgets there's three branches of government.

[soldiermedic76]

Let's also not forget that Biden and Obama's USSC picks have voted against gun rights at every opportunity but also voted to leave Chevron in place, have been bad on the 1A and largely bad on the 4-7 amendments as well.

[Idaho-Bob]

Once upon a time, I argued that SCOTUS picks didn't matter. This was after the Kelo decision. The current court has changed my mind. Especially when the Democrats want to disband the Court.

[mad.casual]

it’s almost like Sullum forgets there’s three branches of government.

No. It’s almost like Sullum has been so hammered into the idea that you can only have one liberty to rule them all and you must sacrifice that one liberty when the next one liberty to rule them all comes around that he either can’t conceive of holding multiple liberties and functional roles of governance simultaneously and in varying priorities, or imagining other people as doing so, can be done. Or he thinks it shouldn’t.

“You ain’t black if you don’t support Joe Biden.” didn’t work. Let’s try “You ain’t a 2A advocate if you support Donald Trump.” He’s impaired himself below the women that Reason mocked about voting for HRC because she has a vagina.

Edit: To wit-
https://reason.com/search/%22free%20speech%22/
Showing 25 of 12036 results found for: "free speech"

https://reason.com/search/%22free%20association%22/
Showing 25 of 239 results found for: "free association"

https://reason.com/search/%22free%20religion%22/
Showing 8 of 8 results found for: "free religion"

[Brett Bellmore]

"The 2020 platform did not discuss the subject at all because there was no 2020 platform;"

Actually there was: They readopted the 2016 platform without changes, in order to deny Trump any input into the platform.

This year you're seeing the platform Trump wants.

I am glad to admit that Trump is not ideal from a 2nd amendment perspective. Worlds better than ANYBODY the Democratic party might conceivably nominate, better than anybody the Republican party has elected in decades, but not ideal.

It's notable that the solitary attack on the 2nd amendment that he perpetrated was one the NRA gave him the go-ahead to commit. While Trump doesn't have any ideological loyalty to the 2nd amendment, neither does he have any ideological hostility to it to motivate him to pursue it even at political cost.

Bush the elder; Sicced the BATF on the American people; Ruby Ridge happened on his watch, Waco was begun.

Bob Dole: Made sure the Brady Bill and '94 AWB got through Congress, threatened to unleash a tsunami of anti-gun laws if the NRA opposed his nomination.

Bush the Younger: At best a wash.

John McCain: As famous for his assistance to the gun control movement as Dole.

Romney: Went out of his way to attack the NRA while campaigning.

Trump: Pushed an anti-gun regulation the NRA itself said was OK. Only because they told him to go ahead.

As mediocre as Trump is on the 2nd amendment, he's actually the best Republican President since Reagan.

[soldiermedic76]

I'm pretty hardcore 2A, but I always felt the bumpstock thing was pretty fucking stupid to begin with. I've never actually met anyone who owned one. It seems like a lot of work to decrease accuracy. It's a gimmick, at best that very few, even in the gun culture had heard of or partake of before someone made a big deal about it. Sort of like how, until they started trying to ban them, so called assault rifles made up < 2% of gun sales, now the AR-15 is the most popular rifle sold.

[Brett Bellmore]

Well, yeah, they're stupid.

Lots of things are stupid, and still constitutionally protected. Mormonism. Copypasta. And, yeah, bumpstocks.

[soldiermedic76]

Didn't say they weren't constitutional, just the media made a big thing out of some really stupid accessory almost no one owned, turning it into a bigger deal than it needed to be. Hell, if a bump stock was used (and that has never actually been verified) in Las Vegas, it likely reduced casualties. But, yeah the ban was stupid, the courts corrected it.

[Hattori Hanzo]

How many people you know that own or don't own a bump stock has zero relevance. Banning the bump stock was a major blunder. Sure, the courts corrected it but that action should never have been warranted and it showed Trump is weak on 2A. Not being Biden is not enough for many voters.

I care about my 2A rights and take them seriously.

[Stuck in California]

Not 100% sure what you’re saying here.

First, do you not get the Soldiermedic agrees with you, that banning bumpstocks was not a good thing?

Second, as someone who is taking your 2A rights seriously, are you still voting for Biden?

Just to clarify -- I really think you two agree here. At least mostly.

[Incunabulum]

You are correct - but they still shouldn't have been banned. That gives the banning agencies power they shouldn't have had.

[mad.casual]

As mediocre as Trump is on the 2nd amendment, he’s actually the best Republican President since Reagan.

And Biden has gotten worse, lock-step in every way, since Jim Brady could walk.

[ravenshrike]

They gave him the go-ahead because A)they knew it was probably going to be struck down by the courts and B)if it wasn't a highly targeted banning of bumpstocks was leagues preferable to whatever monstrosity the Dems would have cooked up and gotten their worthless lickspittles in the republican party to pass using the issue as cover.

[Brett Bellmore]

Yeah, I heard the excuses. Point is, the only reason he did it is that they told him to go ahead. Most Republican Presidents wouldn't even have asked first, all Democrats who could conceivably end up President at this point would take the NRA saying no as an encouragement.

The OP is just an exercise in making the perfect the enemy of the good.

[SIV]

Bush I unilaterally banned imports of so-called "assault weapons" by executive order in 1989. I joined the NRA the day after and I didn't own a firearm at the time.

[Brett Bellmore]

You, too? That was what prompted me to join, bought a life membership with the money I'd been saving for an HK-93. The bastard banned its importation just before I had enough saved up.

[Idaho-Bob]

Hmmm...the GOP isn't doing enough, while the Dems are openly attacking the 2A.

The Biden White House:

President Biden continues to call on Congress to take additional action, including by:

Banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines;
Requiring safe storage of firearms;
Requiring background checks for all gun sales;
Eliminating gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability; and
Enacting his Safer America Plan, which would put more police officers on our streets for accountable, community policing and invest in gun violence prevention and intervention.

DEMOCRATIC PARTY PLATFORM:
WAR ROOM (they are at war with gun owners, even called us MAGA)

“President Biden and Democrats know that it’s our duty to act to keep our schools and communities safe from the gun violence epidemic, but MAGA Republicans who have the power to make a difference are stonewalling every step of the way – trying to roll back gun safety measures, blocking commonsense gun safety legislation, and blaming the loss of lives on everything but lax gun laws. Meanwhile, President Biden established the first White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and signed into law the most impactful federal gun safety legislation in decades, investing $13 billion in public safety and mental health programs, strengthening background checks for young buyers, and supporting implementation of red flag laws. The contrast couldn’t be more clear: as Donald Trump tells Americans to ‘get over it’ in the wake of school shootings, there’s only one ticket this November that will fight to keep Americans safe from gun violence, and that’s President Biden and Vice President Harris.”

[Kungpowderfinger]

Imagine a writer who bitches about Trump’s lack of support for the 2A, and then strategically votes for Joe Biden.

No one’s buying your bullshit, amigo.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

The Supreme Court has ruled on this multiple times. The issue is the activist judges ignoring those rulings. The executive can’t do anything about that. Congress can impeach. But takes a 2/3rds majority. This would be to overrule district and state courts seeking to ignore the ruling.

What federal action are you proposing Sullum?

[Earth-based Human Skeptic]

Sounds like Sullum may have to strategically vote for the Biden-shaped vegetable, or his stand-in.

If only Trump was more pro-gun.

[Longtobefree]

https://babylonbee.com/news/white-house-denies-taxidermist-visited-to-stuff-and-preserve-president

[CE]

https://babylonbee.com/news/in-new-oceans-14-george-clooney-pulls-off-30-million-heist-by-tricking-people-into-giving-money-to-politician-before-revealing-hes-demented

[WWestmiller]

There is no Republican Platform, it's simply a shopping list that Trump thinks will win him more votes.
It isn't just 2nd Amendment, it's abortion, free trade, and deficit reduction that have been discarded.
Critically, it's the abandonment of any firm republican or liberty principles and the embrace of buttons, slogans, and populistic bombast.

[Brett Bellmore]

Ok, first of all, what the hell did you think a platform was, anyway?

By the way, it's pretty pathetic, the idiots are hiding from their own platform, you can't find it at the RNC's site anymore. And the stuff in it is popular enough it's got the Democrats terrified.

And, yeah, the 2nd amendment IS in there, right in the bullet points. Item 7: "DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION, OUR BILL OF RIGHTS, AND OUR FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS, INCLUDING FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF RELIGION, AND THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS"

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Cmon Brett you know the Trump platform is just the dems version of Project 2025. Just ignore both heritage and Trump. And don't actually read it. But trust Biden and dems talking points.

[soldiermedic76]

Another proggies pretending to be conservative to discredit the GOP as not being conservative enough.

[JesseAz (5-30 Banana Republic Day)]

Concern trolling is back and stronger than ever.

[TJJ2000]

Why would anyone care unless their trying to sell BS?
Call me when the GOP starts enacting gun-control.

[soldiermedic76]

Also, a valid point. The GOP isn't nearly perfect enough for my taste on the 2A (or the rest of the BoR for that matter) but they're leagues better than the Democrats.

[Longtobefree]

The seventh promise says Republicans will "defend our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and our fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms."

And to you, a promise "shall not be infringed", is a cursory treatment?
That is the most clear endorsement of gun rights there can be.
It is literally the same as the Bill of Rights.

[6ec75265]

A great measure of Americans’ freedom is their right to possess and use intoxicants and their right to possess and use firearms.

The two major parties take a firm stance on one or the other but neither fully endorses both. With the Republicans backing off from their historically staunch support of the Second Amendment, we should clearly see that neither party truly endorses freedom and the party you thought might have, no longer really does.

[CE]

Neither major party endorses freedom to choose your intoxicants either. They have only very recently slightly relaxed the prohibitions on marijuana, and only in a few states for other substances, and only if it is heavily regulated and heavily taxed.

[soldiermedic76]

They didn't back off. They included the entire rest of the Bill of Rights and Sullum is once again running interference for the Democrats by gaslighting.

[TJJ2000]

Tell that to Kentucky. A wildly [R] state that just passed Marijuana legalization.

[soldiermedic76]

So did Montana, and South Dakota until they're governor called syke. Idaho would too, that's why Little has done everything possible to keep the voters from being able to vote on it.

[TJJ2000]

Indeed. One of the worst habits of [R] politicians seems to be not aligning at all with their own parties constituents.

[Brett Bellmore]

First half of the last century, the Democrats totally dominated Congress for decades straight. The only way a Republican member of Congress could get anything for their constituents was to suck up to the Democrats.

So the national party ended up with a horrible case of Stockholm syndrome. Which led to a self-perpetuating Republican political class that really didn't agree with their own base on much of anything.

They were able to conceal it behind a facade of "fighting the good fight and losing" until in '94 the Democrats' wall of gerrymandering fell in a wave election, driven by massive grass roots efforts by gun owners pissed about the AWB, and right to lifers. I personally wore out two pairs of shoes that year walking door to door!

The dog caught the car, and the idiot Republicans kept to their "lose gracefully" playbook, only it's really hard to take a plausible dive when you're in the majority. So the Republican base finally figured out what was going on, and the GOP has been embroiled in a civil war between its own voting base and the entrenched party establishment.

From the looks of this year's platform, the establishment might finally be losing their grip.

As a long time libertarian, I'm sure I won't like everything a GOP that's actually attuned to its voting base does, but I'm damned sure I'll like it better than anything the Democrats want to do....

I guess that's not good enough for Solum?

[CE]

Maybe gun rights go without saying. The platform also doesn't condemn murder, since it's already illegal. The platform doesn't have to chastise Congress to not pass new gun laws, since the Second Amendment already prohibits any gun laws at all.

[mad.casual]

Imagine if, decades ago, the DNC platform had said “Roe v. Wade is the law of the land and that’s good enough. 6 weeks in one state, 20 weeks in another, as long as abortions are accessible, viability of fetus and women’s rights is achieved.” and the next platform didn’t even mention it.

There would probably still be a Roe v. Wade.

[TJJ2000]

Republican established Roe v Wade prevented 'government involvement' legislation at 6-weeks FYI. It was ruled an Individual Right authority to one's own body until the point of fetal viability (~21-weeks though not timeline established in stone); at which point only States could legislation from that point on.

I'm not sure how you blame the dismissal of that established 4th and 13th Amendment Individual Rights on Democrats. Even if you find Post-Viable abortion an act of murder cancelling the Pre-Viable Individual Right (Dobbs) did absolutely nothing beyond what Roe v Wade already stated to address that concern.

[Roberta]

…

Donald Trump, who pays lip service to the Second Amendment but has never been a true believer.

He’s never been a true believer in anything. However, he has the right friends and knows what to do to please them, and that works. It brought us the most libertarian administration in 50-100 years.

It would’ve been the same with Howard A. Stern as governor of NY, which is why I got him to run as LP nominee. And it’s no coincidence Stern and Trump were mutual admirers.

I’m sick of true believers. I want doers. As Bob Wilson wrote, "Convictions make convicts."

[Daddyhill]

Republicans are simply trying to win over independent voters who endorse sensible gun control policies, such as universal background checks, broadly acceptable red flag rules, and controls on idiotic hardware like bump stocks (who goes deer hunting with one of those?). They are doing the same thing by updating their abortion messaging. Some of this might actually work.

This doesn't mean that they'll stop lying about policies favored by Democrats. We will still hear pearl-clutching allegations, that Democrats want abortion on demand through all three trimesters, and that Democrats want to "confiscate" all privately owned guns. We don't hear so often anymore that Democrats want to defund the police. That was pure sheep-dip brewed during the pandemic, and we've not often heard such racist nonsense now that people are less fearful and more capable of critical thinking.

And that, friends, is what I think Jacob is pointing out, perhaps unintentionally. He says that Trump "has never been a true believer" in the 2nd Amendment. If true, that would be giving credit to Trump as a practitioner of critical thinking, which "true believers" aren't capable of when considering their cause. True believers are folks who, when presented with evidence not favorable to their cause, stake out even more extreme positions. They characterize this new evidence as a hoax and try to forbid its presentation in schools. They claim they are being actively persecuted by their opponents. The GOP could use a few more critical thinkers like Trump. It gags me to say that, but I believe it's true.

[soldiermedic76]

Ooh we have another one here. New poster come here to enlighten us all. And everything you just labeled as Republican lies are document facts. Fuck off.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kirkland]

I can't decide whether superstition-addled bigots or half-educated gun nuts are my favorite culture war casualties.

The culture war's victors -- the liberal-libertarian, modern American mainstream -- has been far too lenient with the losers. I hope that changes.

[TJJ2000]

^Pride in destroying the USA with 'my favorite culture war'.

[soldiermedic76]

How many times does Kirkland need to get dick slapped before he realizes he's the actual loser?

[DesigNate]

The only culture war casualties are you anti-gun nuts who keep getting your asses handed to you.

Cope and seethe harder Artie, it amuses me.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

FOAD, asshole bigot.

[TJJ2000]

We've been passing so called "sensible" gun-control now for over a century; how much more "sensible" can "sensible" get???

One human tendency that really shines like the sun on a sunny day is how power-madness never ends. Where just a little is granted it doesn't take long at all before the whole place is full of Nazi's.

[soldiermedic76]

Look at his so called list of Republican lies, everyone of which has been well documented as facts.

[Incunabulum]

1. 'Sensible gun laws' are defined as 'take the guns away'. It's a red herring. It's a lie to distract you.

2. UBC is a prelude to confiscation. It's a non-starter with anyone who isn't rabidly anti-gun.

3. There are no 'broadly acceptable' red flag laws. By definition - anyone can say 'he's crazy' and the government raids your home - they are unacceptable.

3. Gun ownership is not about hunting. It is about destroying your government. Always has been.

None of these are policies favored by independents. Independents actually tend to be pro-gun.

[Longtobefree]

All "sensible gun control policies" are unconstitutional.
"shall not be infringed" is absolute.
And yes, at the time, private citizens owned the most destructive weapons of war there were; cannon and warships.

[Incunabulum]

Oh dear!

I guess we'll all have to vote 'reluctantly but strategically' vote for Biden - because the GOP is so horrible on guns.

[sarcasmic]

Binary choice. Disagree with the GOP equals loving Biden.

[Z Crazy]

Look, people are just tired of all the carnage in the ghetto.

What do you have against stopping all the school shootings and gang violence in the ghetto?

[TJJ2000]

Gun-free schools is where all that ghetto carnage is happening.

How many mass shootings have happened in a shooting field?
They don’t because everyone is armed with self-defensive measures.

You were probably being sarcastic; but thought I'd comment anyways.

[Michael Ejercito]

I would add that the same side pushing for stricter gun control laws is the same side pushing for decarceration and defunding the police, accusing the police of habitually hunting down and gunning down unafrmed Black men, and accusing the criminal justice system of being systemically racist.

[Sevo, 5-30-24, embarrassment]

Sullum, you steaming pile of TDS-addled shit, perhaps that's because his SCOTUS choices mean the issue has been pretty much resolved.
FOAD, asshole.

[Thoritsu]

And who, pray tell, would Reason recommend we vote for to preserve 2A rights? Biden-NFW, Trump-yes-ish, Libertarian protest vote- yes, please throw away your vote for Trump, for an irrelevant Libertarian, who probably does better support our positions, but can't be elected, and by doing so, help the Biden-walker-Parkenson's campaign for totalitarianism by unelected puppeteers.