If ever a candidate for President crafted a position paper to win over the pro-Second Amendment community, it is this one.

Here, from National Shooting Sports Foundation are some other candidates putting their current positions on the record.

 

or watch the video here

 

Your thoughts?

26 COMMENTS

  1. No one else has had the gonads to stand up for our Second Amendment rights. So glad he has put it on the table. I’m not endorsing Trump, but if he came up on the ticket I would vote for him. He has to be heads above Obama without question. Trump is making issues be put on the table. Most others are too politically correct. We do have some great people up for the nomination. It’s just the stupid republican party that can’t get its act together. Democrats have to be epileptic.

  2. Mas, I’m glad you posted this. I was tempted to, but felt the prior threads didn’t lend themselves to a change in topic.
    I find myself torn on Trump’s candidacy, but you’re correct, the NRA editorial staff couldn’t have written a better statement. I’m torn because I don’t know if he can be trusted to do what he says, at the same time knowing for sure that I would be a fool to trust any of those full time politicians that are running. That is the conundrum we conservatives find ourselves in, trust the devil we know or the devil we don’t.
    If Trump accomplishes nothing else, he is making the other “conservative” candidates have to state a position.
    The make or break for my vote still hinges on the type of Supreme Court justices he (or she) will appoint. Presidents come and go, liberal Supreme Court justices are like cat scat, it don’t quit stinking ’till it’s buried.

  3. All of these folks are “political animals” and will react politically when the subject of ‘gun control legislation’ is before them. In other words, I wouldn’t trust a pro gun vote from any of them when the chips are down without lots of heat from the gun lobby to vote the right way. Nuff said.

  4. Thanks for the blog, Mas. I would be happy with any of the Republican candidates as President, but my favorites are Rand Paul, Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Ted Cruz. Frankly, I would also be very happy to vote for Sarah Palin if she was running.

    Donald Trump’s statement on the Second Amendment was very comprehensive, and shows that he knows something about guns.

    If the computer ballots are counted in Spain, and then manipulated by Democrats, does our vote really count? Does George Soros rule the world? Are we in the new normal, or will a crisis appear and change things for the better or for the worse?

    I am pessimisstic, but the Second Amendment has made great strides since Florida OK’ed CCW in 1987. So that is a good sign.

  5. What it’s going to come down to is whether or not people believe Trump will do what he says he is going to do, or make every effort in the attempt.

    His views have evolved over the years on certain things, I get it. Not many people can say differently, so conflicts there don’t mean much to me.

    I hate to see the American people make a choice based on the “what have we got to lose” theory, but that’s what it may well come down to. At this point, people are willing to gamble on Trump the outsider. I’m undecided, but leaning that way. I’m not sure Trump’s ego and the way he views himself would permit him to make a provable liar out of himself, and leave that as his legacy, and he may feel obligated to himself and posterity to deliver on his policies and promises.

  6. Trump’s 2A stance sounds great. We shall see, we shall see.
    They are all politicians, even the “outsiders” now, and I don’t trust any of them.
    And I like them a lot more than the Dems who I really don’t trust.

  7. Massad,

    I agree with Dennis. I like what he says about the Second Amendment, but am still nervous about trusting him. I’m really a Ted Cruz supporter, but truly appreciate what Trump is doing to bring attention to the topics that everyone else is afraid to bring up or to speak in the unabashed blatant terms that he does. I think this country, after all of the damage that this current communist administration has caused, needs one solid leader ( who is not part of the crooked Washington political typicals) and a great team to deal with reversing all of the destruction. One man- or woman- isn’t going to be able to fix it all. We need a team to fix the economic crisis that this country is heading for (trump would be good to head this team up), a solid strategic military and foreign relations team to deal with irritations like Isis and Iran while regaining our position as a strong leader worldwide (KT McFarland, Ollie North and several other notable military leaders who the Obama admin has run off) but one solid leader to oversee it all while telling our enemies to kiss our arsh and to respectfully meet with and work with our allies- if they’ll trust us after what this loser has done to them! Just my thoughts. Thank you, Massad, for what you do and for your service! There are many of us out here who love and support our military and law enforcement!

  8. I like Ted Cruz, but in the long run who can you really trust. Too, me there is no Gunshow loophole. If you want to sell a personal weapon, and you want to sell it, at a Gunshow, then take it to a dealer and put it on consignment. The public has been mislead.

  9. Trump didn’t show me anything .. typical political gasbag “I’m very big on the second Amendment and” .. etc. Great politician, if not taking a stand is the measure.

    As for the rest of the floozies, anyone who used the expression “assault weapon” outted their philosophy; if it’s an ugly gun, we should ban it.

    Long story short, a pox on all their houses. There is not a 2nd Amendment candidate here. Trump is just the least transparent candidate.

    I think we’ve had enough of the over the past 8 years, and I’m really disappointed that we don’t seem to have a candidate on either side of the political two-holer.

  10. That’s a pretty long statement for having 2 actual policy definitions. I agree with both of them, the reciprocity (though he doesn’t say exactly how he would do it), and allowing military to carry on base. The rest is pretty much mealy-mouth pandering.

    For example, The mental health system is broken, it needs to be fixed. I don’t think anyone (even anti-gun types) disagrees, but how to do it?

    I’m reminded of a businessman I knew who was the “best at what he does,” and “never failed to grow a business”, but when asked about specific issues says, “You just need to trust me, I’ll figure out the problem and solve it. That’s what I do!”

    The prior stance on assault weapons bans and waiting periods doesn’t sound good either. It seems like he’s just taking the position he needs to take to get to the next stage. Let’s hope he’s actually serious about this, but I won’t be voting for him.

  11. With Trump and with others, we like to go back in history to find what they’ve said and done differently from what they are saying and doing now. We look for the “gottcha’s” and “ah-ha” things that reveal the true man.

    As a Christian I have watched some true miraculous transformations in people’s lives and often in less than 15 years, which is when Trump wrote the book referenced above. People can learn and change. In fact, a few of the best conservative writers and commentators today were once liberal Democrats who had an awakening.

    As to whom he has given money to, including Clintons and other Democrats, he is a corporation buying influence, playing the political game from the ownership side. He has bought votes from both sides of the aisle. He knows how to buy influence… and perhaps this might should be scary, just as his free use of public funding, eminent domain and bankruptcy law for his financial gain show a shrewd but somewhat unscrupulous businessman. I have deeper misgivings about his character than I do about his 2A stand.

    As far as giving to Democrats, specifically Clinton, most conservatives don’t realize that FOX News is in the top 10 list of the Clinton Foundation donors. It’s all a part of the political game played out in our oligarchy today. (those thinking we are still a Constitutional Republic are fooling themselves; we’ve evolved into a govt that works very well for DC and the major corporations)

  12. Too many politicians, once they are elected, forget the promises they made to get elected. I’m not sure about Trump, but I am sure I don’t want to see some of the RINO’s as the Republican choice.

    Everyone should read he Declaration of Independence to see how similar the abuses of George III and the current federal government have become.

  13. Since ILL is one of the last states to have our primary, I will have only a few to choose from. Pay particular attention to Trump’s running mate , if he should get the nomination.
    Trump strikes me as a hands on kind of guy. I don’t know if it is a law or not, but, office holders are required to place their investments into a blind trust. I can’t see Trump doing that. Therefor, if he should be elected I would expect him to resign and the VP would take over.
    Just as a point of history ILL passed a law for just one election(Obama’s first term) primary, that moved our primary up to one of the first in the nation. I guess our politicos wanted to give him a sloppy wet kiss to get him started.

  14. When I look at the numerous candidates, on both sides, that are running for the Office of President of the United States of America, I am forcefully reminded of the old saying regarding cable television: “Five hundred channels and nothing on!”.

    That is exactly how I feel about our current crop of candidates. If Trump is the best that is offered, then we have truly touched bottom.

    Personally, it would not bother me to see Carly Fiorina get the Republican nomination. She has an extensive business record and is not tainted with being a “Washington Insider”.

    She would also split the woman’s vote and damage the power base of the Democrats. This would be true even if the democratic nominee is Hillary Clinton.

    She would be a more dangerous candidate for the Democrats to face than any one of the “white guys in suits” seeking the nomination. With her at the head of the ticket, the republicans would have an excellent chance of taking back the White House. That is the goal as far as I am concerned. We need to put in a more centered administration and move away from the radical left-wing stance of the current one.

  15. I like to watch them squirm, on camera, when asked the real hardball questions. ANYONE that says, ” I support the Second Amendment, but……………..” really doesn’t.

  16. I have two rules when it comes to voting for political candidates:

    1. NEVER vote for anyone who has EVER expressed ANY anti-gun views in the past, regardless of how pro-gun they appear to be at present. They cannot be trusted.

    For example, George H.W. Bush expressed some anti-gun views in his first run for president where he lost the nomination to Ronald Reagan. In his second run for president, which he won, he campaigned as a 100% pro-gun conservative Republican. Two months after he was elected, he banned the importation of “assault rifles” by executive order.

    2. NEVER vote for a candidate who does not have a 100% pro gun voting record for every office that he has ever held. This especially means NEVER vote for any candidate who has NO VOTING RECORD at all. What they say & what they do are usually completely different things. They need to PROVE that they are pro-gun before I will vote for them.

    Donald Trump fails both of these tests & I will never vote for him no matter how good he sounds when campaigning. If he were to get elected to the Senate or to a Governorship & establish a pro-gun voting record, then I might vote for him, but not until then.

    We are only one liberal Supreme Court Justice away from losing our 2nd Amendment rights FOREVER, so we need to elect someone who will only appoint judges & justices with a proven track record of supporting the 2nd Amendment. Some of the current Republican candidates have proven to be strongly pro-gun, but unfortunately, I’m not sure they are all electable for a number of other reasons.

  17. Bob, to be fair, Trump’s book where he supports an AWB was from 15 years ago. I believe a person can change his view in that amount of time.

    I would have preferred he say that he’s had a change of opinion on the matter, rather than deny ever supporting a ban when it’s easily proven that at one time he did, but we can’t have everything we want.

  18. Dave—VA,

    Your doubts about Donald Trump are justified. I am trying to have hope in him for two reasons;

    1. I’m sure he will be good for business and jobs. I am sure he cares about HIS business, and he knows how to make other businesses succeed as well.

    2. Whoever can turn America around will become a hero with the stature of Ronald Reagan.

    Hopefully, Trump realizes that if he succeeds, he will become both a business legend and a political legend. That should be good for his ego, AND I do believe he probably loves America, where he has been so successful. If he grew up in Europe, I’m sure he would be taxed even more than he is here. If he grew up somewhere else, could he be as successful as he is here? Are other nations into gambling casinos? In other nations, I am sure that, for businessmen, being connected to the government is even more important than it is here.

    Will Trump become a turncoat if elected? We would hate him and smear him if he did. The real weak link in the political process in the American voter. After Carter the American voter was smart enough to vote for Reagan. Are they smart enough to do something similar in 2016? Is our voting system rigged?

  19. Cap, my opinion of Trump on 2A issues is pretty much the same as my opinion of everybody else in this horserace: I wouldn’t take their word for it if they walked in the door dripping wet and told me it was raining outside. About as close as I get to supporting anyone is Rand Paul, for his stance on privacy and economic issues… But, even in his case, I have reservations, not only for how solid his 2A stance would be in the face of determined opposition, but also for some of his LE stances.

    Trump’s always impressed me, not as a businessman, but as more of a showman or salesman, writ large. I’m not convinced that his product is as good as advertised…

  20. My honest thoughts? Trump is a cruel joke. He may be confused and think it’s for real given his initial numbers, but it’s always been just another self-promotion op for him. He’s a flip-flopper and a demagogue. What he says happens to be non-PC and tailored to appeal to conservatives so many of us are falling for it.

    And even IF he were sincere, capable and willing (I have doubts on all three)… what are the chances of an outsider in today’s political environment? You know he’d be forced to ‘play ball’ or else. The system is broke and no candidate, not even one more real than Trump (like Ben Carson) could turn that around. That’s how I feel anyway and, boy, do I wish I were wrong…

  21. How dare he say driving is a privilege! Seriously, he’s the first candidate in a long time to state that as counter to all the libs who want to “license” our rights. In regard to his previous stances on gun ownership, I too, agree that a person’s views can change. For what it’s worth, I like some of the views and convictions of other GOP candidates, but none of them are going to be able to beat whoever the dems put up to run .The establishment GOP has long lamented that a Reagan-esque conservative was nowhere to be found. Now we apparently have one. And Reagan wasn’t painted very nicely in the 1976 primaries, either. Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but I seem to recall that the late Charlton Heston had some anti gun views early in his career… And he rose up to become the most ardent 2A supporter of the 1990s!

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