by The Republican Party Platform has gotten a number of mentions for how pro-gun it is from both the blogosphere as well as the mainstream media. Of course, Pravda on the Potomac aka the Washington Post has to headline their story, “In wake of mass shootings, Republican Party platforms calls for expanded rights for gun owners”. The new head of the Brady Campaign, Dan Gross, tells the Post that “by making these changes, Republican leaders have ‘put themselves farther out of touch with their constituents.'” Dan, of course, is merely wishing that were true.
So what does the Republican Platform – We The People: A Restoration of Constitutional Government – really say about firearms and gun rights? You can see for yourself below.
The Second Amendment: Our Right to Keep and Bear Arms
We uphold the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment. We acknowledge, support, and defend the law-abiding citizen’s God-given right of self-defense. We call for the protection of such fundamental individual rights recognized in the Supreme Court’s decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago affirming that right, and we recognize the individual responsibility to safely use and store firearms. This also includes the right to obtain and store ammunition without registration. We support the fundamental right to self-defense wherever a law-abiding citizen has a legal right to be, and we support federal legislation that would expand the exercise of that right by allowing those with state-issued carry permits to carry firearms in any state that issues such permits to its own residents. Gun ownership is responsible citizenship, enabling Americans to defend their homes and communities. We condemn frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and oppose federal licensing or registration of law-abiding gun owners. We oppose legislation that is intended to restrict our Second Amendment rights by limiting the capacity of clips or magazines or otherwise restoring the ill-considered Clinton gun ban. We condemn the reckless actions associated with the operation known as “Fast and Furious,” conducted by the Department of Justice, which resulted in the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent and others on both sides of the border. We applaud the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in holding the current Administration’s Attorney General in contempt of Congress for his refusal to cooperate with their investigation into that debacle. We oppose the improper collection of firearms sales information in the four southern border states, which was imposed without congressional authority.
With the exception of overturning the Hughes Amendment and removing silencers from the NFA, I think it hits all the high points of what we have been fighting to achieve.
The NSSF Blog which strongly endorses this platform now wonders if the Democrats will come out with a similarly strong worded platform in favor of gun rights.
Now as the Democratic National Convention approaches, we can hope for a campaign platform statement on the right to keep and bear arms that is as straightforward, respectful of our history and of recent Supreme Court decisions as the reasonable members of that party can achieve. We will not hold our breath, but we can hope.
I’m not holding my breath either.