Gun Safety

Every day, 321 people in the US fall victim to gun violence, accidental shootings, and suicide; 111 of them die.

Firearms are now the leading cause of death for children and teenagers in the United States. Our record on gun violence is obscene, compared to almost every other country like us.

And yet: gun laws are virtually impossible to pass, due to Republican resistance. In June 2022, the Biden/Harris administration was able to enact the first major gun safety legislation in almost thirty years. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act enhances background checks for those under 21. It also supports community mental health services  and violence-prevention programs in schools. Although 97% of Americans support expanded background checks, 35 of the 50 Republican Senators voted against  this bill.

This Act is a good start, but very large majorities of the American people – including most gun-owners – want much more. The 1994 ban on military-style weapons expired in 2004. In July 2022, the House passed a bill to revive the ban, with the support of only two Republicans.  The bill has been sent to the Senate, but Republican opposition has made it impossible to pass.

There are two things voters should consider this fall, as you make your choices not only for President but also for the U.S. Senate and for your district’s member of the U.S. House of Representatives:

• How easy is it to get a gun?
• What gun laws keep us all safer?

Most Americans now say it is too easy to legally obtain a gun in this country and we need stricter gun laws. There is a clear-cut difference in where the candidates and their parties stand in keeping us safe from gun violence.

Harris

The Biden-Harris administration has taken Executive Actions to decrease gun violence and in 2022, passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Kamala Harris has continued her commitment to safer laws by helping states strengthen their work around gun restrictions, most notably by announcing the first-ever National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center. ERPOs, or red flag laws, are civil court orders that temporarily restrict firearm access for an individual who behaves dangerously or presents a high risk of harm to self or others.

Harris supports nationwide red flag laws, universal background checks, and an assault weapons ban.

Through her leadership, the Biden-Harris administration continues efforts, like establishing the Emerging Firearms Threats Task Force to address the frightening rise in access to machine-gun conversion devices and unserialized, 3D-printed “ghost” firearms and promoting safe gun storage. 

Trump

Former President Trump celebrates his close alignment with the gun lobby. The National Rifle Association (NRA) generously funds his campaign; they were the largest outside spender in 2016. The Trump administration made it easier to purchase guns and removed rules that protected Americans from gun violence. He also appointed three very conservative justices to the Supreme Court, resulting in expanded gun rights. Despite mentioning support for background checks after the 2018 school shooting in Parkland and support for red-flag laws after 2019 mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, backlash from the NRA pressured him to dial back any actions that would support these safety measures. 

On the current campaign trail, Trump declares that mass shootings are not “a gun problem” and that he will be the “most pro-gun, pro-Second Amendment president.”

He continues to speak at NRA-sponsored events, supports loosening concealed-carry laws, and shows support for gunmakers. Distressingly, Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, calls school shootings “a fact of life” and offers few policy-level solutions to gun violence.