Originally published September 23 2015
Donald Trump agrees that Americans' have national right to bear arms
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) Billionaire real estate mogul and leading GOP presidential contender Donald Trump continues to endear himself to Republicans and conservatives, despite an all-out assault by the mainstream media and the political elite of his party to derail his candidacy and make him seem illegitimate.
A policy statement published on Trump's campaign website notes that the candidate believes the language of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution "is clear. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period."
In the policy statement, the candidate says he believes that the Second Amendment is a fundamental right guaranteed by our nation's founding document and one that belongs to "all law-abiding Americans." In fact, the policy statement correctly notes, the Constitution did not actually create the right to keep and bear arms; it ensures that the federal government cannot take it away.
"Our Founding Fathers knew, and our Supreme Court has upheld, that the Second Amendment's purpose is to guarantee our right to defend ourselves and our families. This is about self-defense, plain and simple," the policy states.
By comparison, Democrat presidential frontrunner and embattled former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wants "tougher" gun laws, which – in the past – is code for restrictions on gun ownership, even for law-abiding Americans.
Keep up-to-date with Donald Trump's presidential campaign at Trump.news, powered by FETCH.news.
Trump, in his policy statement, notes that, often in the past, the Second Amendment has been referred to as America's first freedom. "That's because the Right to Keep and Bear Arms protects all our other rights," the policy says. "We are the only country in the world that has a Second Amendment." He further notes that protecting that freedom is "imperative" and he goes on to tell Americans how, as president, he will do that:
-- enforce the myriad of gun laws already on the books;
-- fix the nation's broken mental health system (a reference to recent mass shootings, most of which were committed by people with histories of mental health problems); and
-- defend the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
In addition, a Trump Administration would push for these initiatives and changes in current law and statutory requirements:
-- Encourage Americans to defend themselves: Law enforcement is great, they do a tremendous job, but they can't be everywhere all of the time. Our personal protection is ultimately up to us. That's why I'm a gun owner, that's why I have a concealed carry permit, and that's why tens of millions of Americans have concealed carry permits as well.
-- To that end, a Trump Administration would push legislation creating a "national right-to-carry": The right of self-defense doesn't stop at the end of your driveway. That's why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states. A driver's license works in every state, so it's common sense that a concealed carry permit should work in every state. If we can do that for driving – which is a privilege, not a right – then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege.
-- Arm the military or, more accurately, allow them to arm themselves while on military bases, just the same as ordinary civilians can do (with concealed carry permits): Banning our military from carrying firearms on bases and at recruiting centers is ridiculous. We train our military how to safely and responsibly use firearms, but our current policies leave them defenseless.
-- Add mental health records to the National Instant Background Check System (NICS), to prevent serious mental health patients from obtaining guns.
-- Do away with gun and magazine bans (Clinton wants new gun bans and restrictions), because they "are a total failure."
You can read Trump's entire gun policy statement here.
Sources:
DonaldJTrump.com
HotAir.com
TheDailyBeast.com
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