Candidate Positions

Original source: http://www.tommy2008.com/site/Viewer.aspx?iid=8161&mname=Article

Republican presidential candidate Tommy Thompson rejects the idea that more stringent gun control standards would have stopped the massacre that took place at Virginia Tech this week. The former Wisconsin Governor and U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary talked about the gun control issue with University of Iowa College Republicans today

“Instead of pointing the finger at guns, what you have to do is point at the finger at how do you spot individuals with mental problems, emotional problems that may go off and do a terrible thing like they did at Virginia Tech,” Thompson said. According to Thompson, the emphasis should be on the better monitoring students who show signs they could commit violent acts.

Original source: http://johnedwardspresident08.blogspot.com/2007/04/on-gun-control.html

Lawmaker from the district that includes Columbine High School voted to shield gun-makers and dealers from civil suits, to lift restrictions on gun ownership in the District of Columbia and to ease restrictions at gun shows.

Original source: http://www.brownback.com/s/Issues/tabid/60/Default.aspx

Gun Rights/Second Amendment
At the heart of the Bill of Rights is the Second Amendment. This Amendment guarantees an individual the right to keep and bear arms, which is essential, as the Amendment itself affirms, to “the security of a free state.” Restrictive gun control laws aimed at weakening this constitutional right are not the answer. Instead, it is important for the government to enforce criminal gun laws already on the books, for communities to stand against gun violence, and for parents to teach children about gun safety.

Original source: http://johnrlott.tripod.com/2007/02/rudy-giuliani-has-some-still-to-be.html

I understand the Second Amendment. I support it. People have the right to bear arms. When I was mayor of New York, I took over at a very, very difficult time. We were averaging about 2,000 murders a year, 10,000…
….
So if you’re talking about a city like New York, a densely populated area like New York, I think it’s appropriate. You might have different laws other places, and maybe a lot of this gets resolved based on different states, different communities making decisions. After all, we do have a federal system of government in which you have the ability to accomplish that.
….
GIULIANI: Yes, I mean, a place like New York that is densely populated, or maybe a place that is experiencing a serious crime problem, like a few cities are now, kind of coming back, thank goodness not New York, but some other cities, maybe you have one solution there and in another place, more rural, more suburban, other issues, you have a different set of rules.
….
it’s part of the Constitution. People have the right to bear arms. Then the restrictions of it have to be reasonable and sensible. You can’t just remove that right. You’ve got to regulate, consistent with the Second Amendment.
….
I was in favor of that as part of the crime bill. I was in favor of it because I thought that it was necessary both to get the crime bill passed and also necessary with the 2,000 murders or so that we were looking at, 1,800, 1,900, to 2,000 murders, that I could use that in a tactical way to reduce crime. And I did.

Original source: http://edrington.blogspot.com/2007/05/ron-paul-for-president-2008.html

He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.

Original source:http://freedompointnews.blogspot.com/2007/04/who-is-mitt-romney.html

Romney ‘94 embraced the Brady Bill, which imposed a 5-day waiting-period for handgun sales and a ban on certain semi-automatic weapons (called “assault weapons” by gun control advocates).
….
Romney now “believes Americans have the right to own and possess firearms as guaranteed under the US Constitution,” according to a campaign spokesman. Furthermore, he’s a proud (there’s that word again) member of the organization he refused to be a hero to in 1994. He even designated May 7, 2005 as “The Right To Bear Arms Day,” in Massachusetts — a right to which he never alluded in 1994 or 2002.

Original Source: http://2008prez.wordpress.com/2007/05/06/mike-huckabee-bio/

Gun Control - Mike Huckabee has been a member of the NRA for many years and would not let any laws prohibit our right to own a gun.

Original source: http://www.gravel2008.us/issues

2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS

While Senator Gravel fully supports the 2nd Amendment, he believes that fundamental change must take place with regards to gun ownership. The senator advocates a licensing program where a potential gun owner must be licensed as well as properly trained with a firearm before they may own one.

Original source: http://www.alphecca.com/mt_alphecca_archives/003038.html

But if you need another reason and, like me, you support gun rights, well just know that Joe Biden doesn’t.

1. He actually wrote the 1994 Crime Bill that contained the “assault weapons ban” that tried to banish “scary looking guns” that were no different than ordinary ones except for some cosmetics.

2. He’s rated “F” by the NRA.

3. He issued a press release in support of the Million Moms March.

4. He voted against the “Protection of Lawful Commerce…Act” preventing frivolous lawsuits against firearm manufacturers.

Original source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-sugarmann/john-mccains-gun-proble_b_27717.html

McCain’s “gun problem” stems from two issues: his successful campaign to enact the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform package and his failed Congressional efforts to regulate all sales at gun shows (conducted in a high-profile partnership with Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman and backed by a group called Americans for Gun Safety, which, by its very name, is enough to earn the instant enmity of many activist gun owners).
….
When McCain was trumpeting both of these issues, the National Rifle Association and other pro-gun organizations reacted as jilted, and increasingly, bitter lovers.
….
It features a section titled “GOA’s Take on John McCain” and asks the question, “Conservative or Gun Grabber?” Underneath a picture of McCain with the international ban sign over his face, the group states: “Arizona Senator John McCain is almost certainly running for President again. He has been courting various conservative leaders in his quest to secure the Republican nomination. McCain wants voters to believe that he is a conservative… but his record would certainly suggest otherwise. Take, for instance, his record on gun rights and political speech affecting Second Amendment activists. Abysmal, wretched, and pathetic are words that come to mind.” GOA’s legislative rating for McCain in 2006: F.