Trump As President Would Uphold The 2nd Amendment

According to the Associated Press, Donald Trump has won the presidential election, but what does that mean for our everyday lives? Second Amendment supporters bolstered his campaign, but what would a Trump presidency mean for gun control? Would President Trump be as good for gun rights as those supporters thought? The answer is mostly yes.

On his campaign website, Trump says the Second Amendment is a "fundamental right" that is not to be tampered with: "The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period."

The gun control policies he laid out on his campaign website are in line with what the fierce Second Amendment defenders who supported him wanted. On the website, he called gun and magazine bans a "total failure," and said that the government has no business regulating the types of firearms people can own. He wants to create a national concealed carry permit. And he does not think it is necessary to expand background checks beyond the current system.

Trump's stance was pro-gun enough to get him the endorsement of the National Rifle Association. But then during a debate in September, he said something that was contrary to the hardline anti-gun control stance he has previously touted, as reported by the Huffington Post. "I agree with you, when a person is on a watch list or a no-fly list,” Trump said to Clinton, “I have the endorsement of the NRA, which I’m very proud of, these are very, very good people, and they are protecting the Second Amendment. But I think we have to look very strongly at no fly-lists and watch lists." The "No Fly, No Buy" proposal, which aims to prevent people on terrorist watch lists from buying guests, is not supported by the NRA, but is supported by Hillary Clinton.

But for all of the rhetoric about how guns make people safer, when faced with the actual threat of a gun, Trump supporters balked. In Reno this week, a panic broke out when it was thought that someone in the crowd at a Trump rally had a gun, as reported by New York Magazine. A fight had broken out between a Trump supporter and a protestor, and when someone yelled "gun," Secret Service rushed Trump off-stage to safety. The irony of the situation couldn't be ignored by his critics.

Overall, Trump is willing to support the NRA's stance and advocate for the least amount of government restrictions on gun control. So for those who have been worried for the last eight years about whether their second amendment rights would be taken away, rest easy for the next four years. And for those who are in support of stricter gun laws, clearly, this isn't good news.