Ron DeSantis: We will be able to deter that from happening.
Q [to Ramaswamy]: You said, if you want to stop Xi from invading Taiwan, "Let's open a branch of the NRA in Taiwan and put an AR-15 in the hands of every family and train them how to use it." Is this a serious policy proposal?
Vivek Ramaswamy: Well, it's part of a broader deterrence strategy, and so, I think I'm going to respectfully disagree with Ron here. I think the next U.S. president needs to be crystal clear that at least for the foreseeable future, the U.S. will absolutely defend Taiwan, and it is with that clarity that we actually achieve deterrence. But I have a broader strategy than that. I also do believe the Second Amendment is a critical way of preventing foreign autocrats from [action]. So, it is part of a broader strategy, but I do think that we need to be specific about our deterrence strategy.
OBAMA: We're a nation that believes in the Second Amendment. So, my belief is that we have to enforce the laws we've already got. But weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters don't belong on our streets.
STEIN: We certainly need an assault weapons ban, but we need more than that. There are some 260 people every day who are injured or killed by gun violence, so it's very important that we ban assault weapons, for starters, but there are other steps that need to be taken quickly. Local communities need to be able to regulate guns, as needed, to deal with their violence. So, we need to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. We need background checks, so that the mentally ill are not possessing and using guns. And we need to end the gun show loopholes, as well, because there's far too much violence from guns, which is not needed.
Vermont is a rural state in which tens of thousands of people enjoy hunting and own guns. VT is an "outdoor" state--and hunting is a key part of that way of life. I am pro-gun, and pro-hunting. But I don't believe that hunters need assault weapons and AK-47s to kill deer. I voted for the ban on assault weapons, which brought the wrath of the NRA down on me.
| |||||||||||||