Second Amendment enthusiast Trump has little new to say on guns

Public opinion polling about American gun laws is nuanced, but majorities have favored stricter measures since 2015 in Gallup polling. That consensus, however, has yet to result in meaningful legislation addressing any facet of America's epidemic of gun violence, nor has it led either the Democratic or Republican nominee for president to focus on the issue in the 2024 election. The GOP nominee, former President Donald Trump, has not released many formal plans to alter gun laws in the United States, and so his positions on the matter mostly have to be inferred from statements and past policy decisions.

Will Trump be a defender of gun owners' rights?

The word "guns" does not appear in Trump's "Plan to End Crime and Restore Law and Order" page on his campaign's "Agenda 47" policy package. That is likely because he and most Republican lawmakers do not believe that curtailing access to guns will have any meaningful impact on crime rates or the country's mass shooting problem. The Agenda 47 page does promise that as president, Trump would "sign concealed carry reciprocity legislation," referencing a bill that passed the House in 2017; this would force states that currently prohibit individuals from carrying concealed firearms to allow anyone with a valid concealed carry permit to do so.

Trump has occasionally addressed the issue of gun rights in public settings. During his administration, "there was great pressure on me having to do with guns. We did nothing," he said to a gathering of National Rifle Association (NRA) members in February 2024. "Your Second Amendment will always be safe with me as your president," Trump said. While accepting the endorsement of the NRA on May 18, 2024, Trump said that the Second Amendment is "very much on the ballot" in this year's election. Those comments mean that Trump has not modified his past opposition to a ban on assault weapons or strengthening background check procedures for potential gun buyers.

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What safety measures will Trump put in place to combat school shootings?

The issue of mass shootings in American schools continues to divide Americans. Trump sides with most Republicans in recommending additional security measures at schools rather than making an effort to prohibit certain kinds of guns or even to strengthen procedures like background checks. "President Trump will support school districts that allow highly trained teachers to carry concealed weapons at school," his campaign states in an Agenda 47 item called "President Trump's Ten Principles For Great Schools Leading to Great Jobs." The page also calls for "federal funding to hire veterans, retired police officers, and other trained gun owners as armed guards in our nation's schools."

In his debate with Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), Trump's running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), also said that he supports increased funding for school security. "But I unfortunately think that we have to increase security in our schools," Vance said. "We have to make the doors lock better. We have to make the doors stronger. We've got to make the windows stronger." The campaign has not released a specific proposal to strengthen windows and doors in the more than 95,000 public schools in the country.

How will the Supreme Court influence the future of gun laws in America?

As president from 2017 to 2021, Trump appointed three justices to the United States Supreme Court, all of whom were regarded as strong supporters of gun rights. Yet the Court has only issued a handful of major rulings on guns during this period. The most high-profile decision was when a 6-3 majority, including all three of Trump's appointees, ruled in June 2022 that the Second Amendment guarantees individuals' right to carry guns outside of their homes, preempting state laws prohibiting firearms in public places. There is currently a case before the Supreme Court regarding so-called "ghost guns" — guns assembled from kits that contain the parts necessary to build a firearm — challenging a Biden administration rule designed to treat the sale of gun components used in the creation of such devices like any other gun sold on the market. The Trump campaign has not taken a public position on the issue.