Trump: “The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear, The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period.”
Republican presidential candidate and front-runner Donald Trump released on Friday his policy paper detailing his views on gun rights, saying he supports the Second Amendment right to bear arms and that “our personal protection is ultimately up to us.”
“That’s why I’m a gun owner, Mr. Trump wrote “That’s why I have a concealed carry permit, and that’s why tens of millions of Americans have concealed carry permits as well. It’s just common sense.”
Mr. Trump continued “The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear, The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period.”
Mr. Trump argued for tougher enforcement of current gun laws and criticized the Obama administration for failing to rein in violent crime in cities like Baltimore and Chicago.
“Drug dealers and gang members are given a slap on the wrist and turned loose on the street. This needs to stop,” Mr. Trump wrote.
He also called for an overhaul of the nation’s broken mental health system, arguing “law-abiding gun owners get blamed by anti-gun politicians, gun control groups and the media for the acts of deranged madmen.”
Donald Trump addressed the issue of assault weapons stating, “What they’re really talking about are popular semi-automatic rifles and standard magazines that are owned by tens of millions of Americans,” he said, calling gun and magazine bans a “total failure.”
Mr. Trump also advocated for a national right-to-carry bills saying permits should be valid in all 50 states.
“A driver’s license works in every state, so its common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state,” he said.
Regarding the military Mr. Trump also called for allowing service men to carry firearms on bases and at recruiting centers, saying such bans were “ridiculous.”
“We train our military how to safely and responsibly use firearms, but our current policies leave them defenseless. To make America great again, we need a strong military. To have a strong military, we need to allow them to defend themselves.”
Furthermore, he said the nation’s mental health system has allowed people who should not have guns to obtain them.
“We need to expand treatment programs, because most people with mental health problems aren’t violent, they just need help… But for those who are violent, a danger to themselves or others, we need to get them off the street before they can terrorize our communities. This is just common sense.”
“And why does this matter to law-abiding gun owners? Once again, because they get blamed by anti-gun politicians, gun control groups and the media for the acts of deranged madmen,” he said.