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Democratic Presidential Candidates on gun control issues
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| DaveSaenz |
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark
Votes
No record.
Quotes
“I believe in the Second Amendment. I've always had a lot -- we've always had a lot of guns in the house. I've been shooting and hunting and fishing since I was a kid.”
--CNN NewsNight with Aaron Brown, Sept. 17, 2003
"[P]eople who like assault weapons -- they should join the United States Army, we have them."
--CNN Crossfire, June 25, 2003
“I am a gun owner and I enjoy firearms and hunting. I want voters to know that I believe that the Second Amendment gives people the right to own firearms for protection, collection, or sport. I also want families concerned about gun violence to know that I believe no right is absolute. I will ask Congress to send me laws to sign that close the gun show loophole, renews the ban on assault weapons, and fixes the background check system. There is no contradiction between supporting gun rights and fighting for responsible gun laws.”
--Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, 2004 presidential survey
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Former Gov. Howard Dean of Vermont
Votes
No record on federal legislation.
Received an A from the National Rifle Association in 2000.
Quotes
“I come from a rural state with a very low homicide state and no gun control other than the federal laws. I support those federal laws vigorously. Hunters don't need AK-47s to shoot deer and most hunters I know don't believe that it should be easier for criminals to get their hands on guns, but I know that states like California and New Jersey want more gun control than that. I believe that they should be allowed to pass what gun controls they think they need, but that it is unreasonable to apply laws that may be necessary in California to rural states like Montana or Vermont. The cross border issue has been resolved in the one case I know of where it became a big issue. Virginia now limits the availability of gun purchases because so many Virginia guns were turning up in New York City illegally.”
--Concord Monitor and washingtonpost.com, Nov. 6, 2003
“Here's my position on guns. I support the assault weapons ban. And I fought the renewal of the assault weapons ban. I do not support the elimination of liability for gun owners. I support background checks. And I support background checks for people who buy guns at gun shows.”
--Democratic presidential debate in Boston, Nov. 4, 2003
“If urban states want to have lots of gun control, let them have it, but just don't impose the same gun laws that you have in New York City or New Jersey or California on states like Vermont, which have a very low homicide rate.”
--Democratic presidential debate in Detroit, Sept. 9, 2003
“The true measure of leadership is standing up to your friends when they are wrong. President Bush should use the power of the presidency to urge his fellow Republicans to do the right thing, protect American lives, and extend the assault weapons ban.
-Dean For America, May 14, 2003
"Here's what my position is and what it would be as president. Keep the assault weapons ban. I favor that and it ought to be renewed. Keep the Brady bill, close the gun-show loophole, and then let every state decide for themselves what additional gun control they need."
- Tavis Smiley Show, National Public Radio, Jan. 28, 2003
“There is a serious problem in some parts of this country with gun violence that I believe has to be addressed. Like many matters related to law enforcement, this is a job best handled at the state and local level - with federal assistance where appropriate. I support federal action in several areas: I support use of Insta-Check for all retail and gun show sales and I support a tough and effective assault weapons ban. Beyond that, I believe that gun control laws should be established at the state level since the need in New York or California is going to be so different from the need in New Hampshire, Tennessee, or Montana.”
-Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, 2004 presidential survey
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Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts
Votes
Voted with the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence 100 percent of the time.
Voted with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 100 percent of the time.
Received an F from the National Rifle Association in 2002.
Received an F from Gun Owners of American for the 108th Congress.
Opposes the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (H.R. 1036 / S. 659), which grants gun manufacturers, distributors and dealers immunity from lawsuits. The measure passed the House and has the support of 55 senators. The Senate is expected to consider the measure in 2004.
Voted in favor of an amendment to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (S. 1607), commonly known as the “assault weapons” ban. President Clinton signed the bill into law in 1994.
Voted in favor the Brady Bill (H.R. 1025 / S. 414), which required a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases and established a national instant criminal background check system. President Clinton signed the bill into law in 1993.
Quotes
“Howard Dean and I have huge difference[s] on guns and what's appropriate. I don't want to be the candidate of the NRA in this country. I don't think the Democratic Party should be the candidacy of the NRA. And when I was fighting to ban assault weapons in 1992 and '93, Howard Dean was appealing to the NRA for their endorsement, and he got it. He's been endorsed more times by the NRA than the NEA.”
- Democratic presidential debate in Boston, Nov. 4, 2003
"I believe in the Second Amendment in this country. But I don't believe that assault weapons ought to be sold in the streets of America. Never believed it, don't believe it now."
- The New York Times, Nov. 1, 2003
“I’m a hunter. I’m a gun owner. I’ve been a hunter since I was a kid. I understand some of the cultural transitions between different parts of the country, and I think in the end, what people want is somebody who will offer America the truth and common sense.”
- Hardball with Chris Matthews, Oct. 20, 2003
“We cannot afford to be a party that reads the wrong lessons from the last elections. Shame on us if we believe that we have to retreat from our principles and suddenly that something like gun safety is not important in America. I come here to tell you, we can't go out and win elections by throwing out our principles. I won't do it. I'm a hunter, I'm a gun owner, but I have never, ever thought of shooting with an AK-47 when I go hunting.”
- Democratic National Committee fall meetings, Oct. 4, 2003
“I am a gun owner and a hunter, and I believe that law-abiding American adults have a right to own guns. As president, I will work to protect that right. But like all of our rights, gun rights come with responsibilities, and those rights allow for reasonable restrictions to keep guns out of the wrong hands. I am a strong supporter of all of the federal gun laws on the books, but I would like to see them vigorously enforced. New gun laws have no impact on gun crime or gun violence when they sit unused on the shelf.”
- Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, 2004 presidential survey
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Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut
Votes
Voted with the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence 90 percent of the time.
Voted with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence 90 percent of the time.
Received an F from the National Rifle Association in 2000.
Received an F from Gun Owners of American for the 108th Congress.
Opposes the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (H.R. 1036 / S. 659), which grants gun manufacturers, distributors and dealers immunity from lawsuits. The measure passed the House and has the support of 55 senators. The Senate is expected to consider the measure in 2004.
Voted in favor of an amendment to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (S. 1607), commonly known as the “assault weapons” ban. President Clinton signed the bill into law in 1994.
Voted in favor the Brady Bill (H.R. 1025 / S. 414), which required a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases and established a national instant criminal background check system. President Clinton signed the bill into law in 1993.
Quotes
“The American citizens have a right to own firearms. It is no more unlimited than any other right that we have. The laws ought to concentrate that we pass on stopping criminals and children and others who shouldn't have guns from getting them. Licensing -- registration, in my opinion, are bad ideas and violations of that fundamental right.”
- Democratic presidential debate in South Carolina, May 4, 2003
“If people injured by gun violence can show that gun dealers or manufacturers are responsible, they should have the opportunity to try to prove it. So I reject this attempt to do a special favor for one industry that should have to go to court and make its case like everybody else. If people injured by gun violence can show that gun dealers or manufacturers are responsible, they should have the opportunity to try to prove it. So I reject this attempt to do a special favor for one industry that should have to go to court and make its case like everybody else.”
- Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, 2004 presidential survey
“Joe Lieberman supports the Second Amendment right of sportsmen, hunters and law-abiding citizens to bear arms, but believes that it’s far too easy in America for kids and criminals to get their hands on guns. He cosponsored the Brady law, which imposes mandatory background checks on prospective gun purchasers and has kept over 600,000 felons and fugitives from purchasing firearms. He has supported a requirement that all new handguns be sold with safety locks, supported a ban on assault weapons, and has led the fight to close the ‘gun show loophole’ that allows gun buyers at such shows to avoid background checks. He also supports stronger federal enforcement of our existing gun laws.”
- Joe Lieberman for President 2004 |
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| DaveSaenz |
Personally I'm still undecided on the gun control issue, but I think that we should do our best to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and mentally unstable people. I think some gun control advocates want to ban all guns in the United States, and I think this is a very unreasonable goal. As I've stated before, since man has destroyed the natural predatory populations in many areas, hunting is sometimes the only means to control various animal populations like deer. In fact the deer population has exploded in recent years. At least the NRA won't go after Dean if he wins the nomination. They have such considerable political influence that I think it would be political suicide to be "in their sights" so to speak.
| quote: | Kerry Accuses Dean Of Pandering To Gun Lobby
Assault Weapons Ban Anniversary Used As Ammunition
POSTED: 8:31 p.m. EST November 17, 2003
UPDATED: 8:34 p.m. EST November 17, 2003
CONCORD, N.H. -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry is using the anniversary of the federal assault weapons ban as ammunition against rival Howard Dean.
Ten years ago, the Senate banned the manufacture of 19 semiautomatic assault weapons while protecting 670 hunting and other recreational rifles. The measure became law the following year.
Kerry says that while he strongly supported the ban, Dean was pandering to the gun lobby by opposing it. Dean says Kerry is distorting positions Dean took while running for governor of Vermont.
Dean supports the ban, as well as closing the gun-show loophole that allows purchases of weapons without background checks. Beyond that, Dean believes states should be allowed to go their own way.
The latest New Hampshire primary poll shows Kerry continuing to trail Dean by double-digits.
Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed |
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| Izzy |
"help fight crime, shoot back"
:thepirate |
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