Gun Owners of America released a list of 10 wins that President Donald Trump secured for the 2nd Amendment—victories that Hillary Clinton would have prevented and that Joe Biden would overturn.
The Democratic presidential nominee has already stated that he does not believe the 2nd Amendment secures an individual right, that it “is not absolute,” and that its fundamental purpose was “to muster people to deal with an enemy called Great Britain we were fighting in a war,” the Daily Caller reported.
When Anderson Cooper asked if a Biden administration means “they’re going to come for my guns,” Biden said, “Bingo. You’re right if you have an assault weapon. The fact of the matter is they should be illegal. Period. Look, the Second Amendment doesn’t say you can’t restrict the kinds of weapons people can own.”
Biden said he supports a national gun-confiscation program to take so-called assault weapons, including the widely owned AR-15.
So far, Trump has blocked the Democratic Party’s radical anti-gun agenda and implemented a pro-gun agenda, GOA reported.
Court Appointments
Trump has appointed three Supreme Court justices. So far, the Senate has confirmed two, and the third nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, should be confirmed on Monday.
Their judicial philosophies indicate that they would uphold the precedent in D.C. v. Heller, which affirmed the individual right to own and use a firearm, if there were any challenges to the Constitutional precedent.
Amy Coney Barrett ruled on a 2nd Amendment case in Kanter v. Barr while she sat on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. She said that the government could not institute an across-the-board ban on firearms, even for people with criminal records, except for violent felons, Fox News reported.
State Reciprocity
Trump has expressed willingness to “support” and “sign” Concealed Carry Reciprocity legislation if Congress can pass it.
This legislation would require states to honor each other state’s concealed carry permits, preventing states like Illinois from regulating the right to carry of citizens in surrounding Midwestern states.
‘Essential Businesses’
The Trump administration protected gun rights during the pandemic, even as states like Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, and California restricted freedom of movement, of religion, and of assembly.
In line with the wishes of Gun Owners of America, the Department of Homeland Security designated Second Amendment-related industry as “essential business.”
This protection of the industry has kept many gun manufacturers, stores, and ranges open, and it has given citizens more power to fight against unconstitutional regulations and shutdowns.
Federal Land
The Army Corps of Engineers changed its rules, at Trump’s request, to restore 2nd Amendment rights on federal land, including “on over 400 lake and river projects, totaling over 11 million acres of public lands in 43 states,” GOA reported.
Protecting the Vulnerable
Trump protected 75,000 seniors and disabled persons from losing their gun rights. He signed an executive order in March 2017 to prevent their names from being added to the prohibited persons list in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
UN Withdrawal
Trump pulled the United States out of the United Nations’ Arms Trade Treaty, a program that authorizes $70 billion per year to regulate the international weapons trade.
“We will never allow foreign bureaucrats to trample on your 2nd Amendment freedom,” Trump said in 2019, according to Breitbart. “Under my administration, we will never surrender American sovereignty to anyone.”
3-D Printing
The Trump administration has fought for the release of Defense Distributed’s 3-D printed gun files, which would decentralize and distribute the knowledge of firearm schematics.
The State Department scrapped the Obama administration’s lawsuit on the matter and won the right to “unlimited release,” but states have appealed the decision in federal district court. The judge blocked the implementation of the earlier ruling.
New York Overreach
The Justice Department defended the rights of gun owners in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. New York City, a case that determined whether New Yorkers had a right to transport their weapons.
The Supreme Court ruled against the 2nd Amendment in this case, but Trump’s Justice Department backed the rights of gun owners.
Excessive Sales Fees
The State Department updated rules for the International Traffic in Arms Regulations and removed a $2,250 registration fee on gunsmiths and firearm stores, even if they did not manufacture or export firearms or ammunition.
Fixing Legislative Flaws
The final win for firearm owners comes on the heels of a loss. Trump signed the “Fix NICS Act of 2017,” a law to create stricter enforcement of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
While GOA opposed the legislation, the Trump administration worked with the 2nd Amendment group to remove its worst provisions, including one that would have defined a person as a “fugitive from justice” and stripped him of his 2nd Amendment rights for an unpaid out-of-state parking ticket.
“This 2020 presidential election will determine if our next president will sign or veto legislation put on his desk and the congressional elections will determine whether that legislation is pro-gun or gun control,” GOA wrote in a press release.
