As the 2024 Presidential Election approaches, one issue still polarizes the Democratic and Republican parties: gun control.
According to a study by Pew Research Center, about four-in-ten U.S. adults say they live in a household with a gun, including 32% who say they personally own one. With guns so common in American households, and citizens’ feelings toward guns split, gun control is definitely one of the most hot-button topics for the presidential candidates.
Vice President Kamala Harris oversees the White House Office of Gun Violence and Prevention, created by the Biden administration in 2023 to tackle congressional inaction on gun control. Her campaign website claims that if elected, Harris will “ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, require universal background checks, and support red flag laws that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.” While she identifies as a Second Amendment advocate and owns a gun, she emphasizes stronger gun control measures. During her 2019 presidential campaign, she pledged to enforce “near-universal” background checks, close loopholes for domestic violence offenders, revoke licenses from law-breaking manufacturers, and support a mandatory gun buyback program. However, at the September 10th presidential debate, Vice President Harris said to competitor Donald Trump that “we’re not taking anybody’s guns away, so stop the continuous lying about this stuff.”
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign has pledged to “terminate every single one of Harris-Biden’s attacks on law-abiding gun owners” in his first week if elected, emphasizing his commitment to the Second Amendment. However, he has not provided specific gun policies throughout his campaign. At the NRA’s Great American Outdoor Show, he assured his supporters that “no one will lay a finger on your firearms.” Additionally, while he claimed to have done nothing to restrict guns during his presidency, he did implement a 2017 bump stock ban following a mass shooting at a concert in Las Vegas. After the 2018 Parkland shooting, he called for bipartisan background check legislation, and after the 2019 mass shootings, he supported “red flag” laws. However, these proposals faced significant opposition from Second Amendment activists and were ultimately dropped.
Steve Ellis, owner of Top Guns in Terre Haute, shared his perspective on the topic, and ways community members can be more informed on gun safety.
“Firearms violence is not directly related to gun vendors or even gun owners. If someone is going to commit a crime, they have their mind made up about it. Chances are they didn’t obtain that weapon legally and even so they aren’t using it responsibly,” Ellis said.
Top Guns strives to teach community members to handle weapons responsibly.
“We offer a lot of services to community members to promote proper gun safety. We offer free gun locks to anyone who comes in and asks for one, all you have to do is request. We also do a lot of safety classes. In fact, November is Gun Safety Month for us. Throughout the month of November, we teach gun safety classes for free every Thursday at 6 p.m., excluding Thanksgiving,” Ellis said.
You can learn more about gun safety and proper training at Top Guns, located at 5050 S 7th St, Terre Haute, IN 47802.