Candidate Positions

Original source:http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=1AE9B6AE-D8A7-6619-6DA493C9771D0676

Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards unveiled a rural agenda this past week that called for a crackdown on gun crimes. “I believe in the Second Amendment and I think it’s important for hunters rights to be protected. It’s part of my culture because of the way I grew up,” Edwards said during a news conference Friday night in Des Moines. “But I don’t think you need an AK-47 to hunt…There’s some weapons that are not necessary for sportsmen and hunters.”

Edwards, who backs a renewal of the assault weapons ban, also mentioned the breakdown in the Virginia system that allowed the Virginia Tech shooter to obtain a gun in the first place. “We need to do a better job of making sure that the registry that’s being used for the instant check includes people who’ve had some history of mental problems,” Edwards said. “There’s a spotted history, but there certainly was some history about this gunman.”

Original source: http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=/Politics/archive/200703/POL20070306b.html

Former Virginia Gov. James Gilmore would like conservatives who are shopping for an alternative to the leading contenders for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination to know that he is no “Johnny come lately,” whether the issue is fighting terrorism, securing tax cuts, preserving gun rights, or promoting the right to life.
….
Gilmore said that, as Virginia’s governor, he fought to downsize government and cut taxes, including a car tax. He supported “right to life” initiatives and Second Amendment rights and was a member of the board of directors of the National Rifle Association.