More headlines: George W. Bush on Gun Control

(Following are older quotations. Click here for main quotations.)

Bush says Gore is more a member of NRA than Bush is

In a speech to the Association of Health Care Journalists, Gore said, “Bush has convinced the NRA that he wants to take the gun lobbyists out of the lobby & put them right into the Oval Office.” Gore’s point was that gun violence was straining the health care system, to the tune of $2.3 billion annually, and that Bush was so deeply in the pocket of the gun lobby that he could not recognize this problem.

Bush dismissed those accusations. “I make my positions on what I think is right. I’ll make the decisions as to what goes on in the White House,“ he said. Repeating an accusation he has made before, Bush said: ”I’ve never been a member of the NRA. Gore has been, if I’m not mistaken.“

This accusation momentarily befuddled both campaigns, neither of which could find evidence that Gore had belonged to the gun lobby. A Bush spokesman said Bush might have been referring to an NRA official saying that Gore had once been so opposed to gun control that he could have been the poster boy for it.

Source: Katharine Q. Seelye, New York Times, p. A20 on 2000 election May 5, 2000

Agrees with Gore on trigger locks;but wants more enforcement

Where They Agree:

Support the current ban on assault weapons.
Prohibit juveniles from possessing assault weapons.
Ban imports of high-capacity ammunition clips.
Raise the minimum age for possessing a handgun from 18 to 21.
Require that trigger locks be sold with handguns.

Where They Differ

Bush also would:
Provide more money for enforcement of gun laws.
Support automatic detention for young people who commit crimes with guns.
Oppose government-mandated registration of guns owned by people who don’t break laws.
Gore also would:
Require photo licensing for handgun purchases.
Limit gun purchases to one per month and require a three-day waiting period.
Require manufacturers and federally licensed sellers to report sales to a state authority.

Source: Associated Press in Los Angeles Times Apr 21, 2000

$1.6M TX campaign, “Gun Crime Means Hard Time.”

Announced he was allocating $1.6 million in state funds to a new initiative to crack down on gun crime. Bush said $1.28 million will be used to pay for the appointment of eight special prosecutors who will vigorously prosecute criminals who use guns within the framework of existing laws. Another $360,000 will be used to fund a public awareness campaign aimed at reducing gun violence under the slogan “Gun Crime Means Hard Time.” Source: Hilary Hylton, Reuters Sep 21, 1999

Concealed Carry needed in our dangerous society

With many Americans alarmed by the proliferation of guns, Bush defended his support for legislation in Texas that allows a person to carry a concealed weapon. “We live in a dangerous society,” Bush said. “People feel like they need to defend themselves.. We need to know who they are and they should be licensed and trained.” He added that the concealed-carry law addresses “the act of someone protecting themselves as opposed to the purchasing and spread of guns.” Source: Dan Balz, The Washington Post on 2000 election Apr 25, 1999

Ban machine guns; maintain existing gun restrictions

Maintain state restrictions on the purchase and possession of firearms.
Favor allowing citizens to carry concealed firearms.
Bush says he “supports the current ban of fully- automatic machine guns.”
Bush says he “supports voluntary efforts to provide child safety locks.”

Source: 1998 National Political Awareness Test Jul 2, 1998

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