Former President Donald Trump addressed thousands of members of the National Rifle Association in Texas and urged gun owners to vote in the 2024 election. Trump claimed that the Second Amendment is at stake in the upcoming election, alleging that President Joe Biden would attempt to take away firearms from law-abiding citizens if he were to win another term. The Biden administration has taken steps to combat gun violence, including implementing a new rule to close a loophole that allows unlicensed dealers to sell guns without background checks. Trump has positioned himself as a defender of the Second Amendment, declaring himself the best friend gun owners have had in the White House.
In his speech to the NRA, Trump expressed concern about the rising number of mass shootings and deaths in the United States, blaming the Democrats for wanting to take away guns from people who use them legitimately. He criticized independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for calling the NRA a terror group, urging NRA members not to waste their votes on him. Trump announced the creation of a new “Gun Owners for Trump” coalition that includes gun rights activists and professionals in the firearms industry. Biden, on the other hand, has made curbing gun violence a priority in his administration and campaign, advocating for stricter gun laws and addressing the issue of children and teens dying from gun violence in America.
Former President Trump’s stance on gun control has shifted over the years, initially promising strong background checks after the Parkland mass shooting, but ultimately backtracking due to lack of political support. Gun safety groups endorsed Biden, planning to demonstrate near the NRA convention in Dallas. Democrats in Texas are gearing up for the upcoming Senate race, with U.S. Rep. Colin Allred leading a campaign to unseat Republican Ted Cruz, hoping to break the streak of 30 years where no Democrat has won a statewide office in Texas. Despite Trump’s strong support in Texas, Democrats remain hopeful for a potential victory in the state.
President Biden has created the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and urged Congress to ban assault weapons, a move that was not embraced by Democrats in the past. Vice President Kamala Harris criticized Trump for catering to the gun lobby and threatening to worsen the crisis of gun violence in America. Trump’s rival in the 2024 election, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., distanced himself from previous comments calling the NRA a terror group, clarifying that he supports the Second Amendment. Trump also announced his plan to speak at the Libertarian Party’s convention, appealing to members to vote for him to prevent a potential Joe Biden victory. In the midst of his criminal hush money trial, Trump remains focused on rallying gun owners to vote in the upcoming election in an effort to protect Second Amendment rights.
