Which Presidential Candidates are the Most Bullish on Guns and other Things

Which Presidential Candidates Are the Most Bullish on Guns?

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Palmer Gibbs




The upcoming presidential election has seen many pivotal moments that shifted the conversation, from an undercover video of Planned Parenthood officials that reignited the abortion rights debate to the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Calif.


Throughout this year’s many twists and turns, the discussion about guns simmered right at the surface, bubbling up whenever news breaks. In the wake of a shooting in June at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., President Barack Obama called for stricter gun laws. To the frustration of many on the right, Obama did so again after the mass shooting in San Bernardino, even though the FBI designated it a terrorist attack.


And with Democrats on Capitol Hill introducing a new assault weapons ban bill on Dec. 16, 2015, the issue will continue to pop up on the campaign trail for presidential candidates. With that in mind, InsideGov examined where each current presidential candidate stands on the issue of gun legislation, using data from OnTheIssues. OnTheIssues measures politicians' positions on a variety of topics, scoring people on a scale of -10 to 10, where more negative scores indicate a liberal stance and more positive scores indicate a conservative one.


More: How Effective Was the Assault Weapons Ban?


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#18. Martin O'Malley

Former Gov. Martin O'Malley, D-Md., is one of the more outspoken pro-gun control candidates. While on the campaign trail, he often reminds people that he passed gun control laws in his state while governor.

#17. Jill Stein

When Green Party candidate Jill Stein ran for president in 2012, she argued for an assault weapons ban and to close gun show loopholes.

#16. George Pataki

As the former Republican governor of the reliably blue state of New York, George Pataki has more liberal positions than some of his fellow Republicans on a handful of issues. In August 2000, in the middle of his second term as governor, Pataki signed a package of gun control measures for his state.

#15. Hillary Clinton

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made gun control a central issue of her campaign this time around. The Democratic frontrunner devotes an entire page to it on her campaign website.

#14. Chris Christie

As another Republican governor in a blue state, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie leans a bit to the left on gun control. Christie has signed firearm laws while in office, but since announcing his run for the White House, he has sought to distance himself from that legislation.

#13. Bernie Sanders

While many people might think of Sen. Bernie Sanders as an across-the-board liberal, the Vermont Independent is moderate when it comes to guns. He has said his approach to gun legislation is dictated by his rural state, where many people own firearms for hunting and sports. But Sanders' tenor changed recently: After the San Bernardino mass shooting, he called for an assault weapons ban and other measures.

#12. Jim Gilmore

Former Gov. Jim Gilmore sits on the board of the National Rifle Association. In August 2015, the Virginia Republican wrote a piece for the Daily Caller where he outlined his commitment to the Second Amendment.

#11. Jeb Bush

In the wake of the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., said the focus should be on mental health as opposed to new gun control measures.

#10. Rick Santorum

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. The Republican presidential candidate has said that mental health should be the focus in these conversations, rather than more gun legislation.

#9. Donald Trump

On his campaign website, Republican frontrunner Donald Trump advocates strong support for gun ownership. The businessman believes "protecting our Second Amendment rights will make America great again," using his campaign slogan and affinity for superlatives to drive home the point.

#8. Ben Carson

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson advocates for Second Amendment rights. After the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, Carson said gun-free zones could empower assailants to pick those locations to enact violence. He also said that if a kindergarten teacher was trained how to use a firearm, "I would be much more comfortable if they had one than if they didn't."

#7. Rand Paul

First-term Sen. Rand Paul dedicates a page on his presidential campaign website to Second Amendment rights. The Kentucky Republican, who often takes a more libertarian stance, said he wouldn't support "any proposed gun control law which would limit the right to gun ownership by those who are responsible, law-abiding citizens."

#6. Mike Huckabee

In April 2015, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was one of a handful of Republican presidential hopefuls who spoke at the National Rifle Association's annual Leadership Forum. Need more proof Huckabee supports the Second Amendment? He titled his most recent book "God, Guns, Grits and Gravy."

#5. Marco Rubio

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio advocates for Second Amendment rights on his presidential campaign website, saying the president "has no right to restrict the individual right to own a firearm." After the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon, Rubio said proposed gun control measures "would not have prevented that attack or some of the others that we've seen in the past."

#4. Lindsey Graham

In March 2013, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said he opposed broadening background checks to include the sale of firearms between two people. Current federal law requires background checks when a sale involves a licensed dealer, but not when it involves individuals.

#3. John Kasich

While on the campaign trail in October, Ohio Gov. John Kasich said, "The guns are not the problem." He pointed to the pre-purchase screening process, which he said doesn't do a sufficient job taking into account those with mental illness.

#2. Carly Fiorina

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina argues that gun ownership is "our God-given right and our Constitutional right."

#1. Ted Cruz

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is an avid gun rights supporter. After the mass shooting in San Bernardino, the first-term Republican senator told Iowans during a campaign stop: "You don't stop bad guys by taking away our guns, you stop bad guys by using our guns."

Where All Presidential Candidates Stand on Gun Control

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