ARS Responds To President Trump’s Remarks To New York Law Enforcement

July 28, 2017

July 28, 2017— Today, Americans for Responsible Solutions (ARS), the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, issued the below statement following President Trump’s remarks to law enforcement officers in Long Island, NY.

David Chipman, Former ATF Special Agent and Senior Advisor at Americans for Responsible Solutions:

“As a former law enforcement officer and a lifelong gun owner, I know that it’s possible to strengthen our nation’s gun laws while also protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners – but time and time again, President Trump continues to ignore this reality. ”The truth is, an overwhelming majority of American voters want our elected leaders to work together and build communities where families can live without fear of gun violence. One of the biggest, most dangerous gaps in our nation’s gun laws is that we have no strong, clear federal law against gun trafficking. ”If the President is serious about breaking the cycle of violence in our towns and cities, President Trump must focus on closing these gaping loopholes in our nation’s gun laws, rather than following the lead of the Washington gun lobby, who wants to make it harder for law enforcement to do their jobs by deregulating silencers, mandating national concealed carry and eliminating gun-free school zones.”

The vast majority of Americans — including the majority of gun owners — believe we should work together to take commonsense steps to prevent gun violence:

Policies pushed by the Trump Administration and championed by the gun lobby have little support among gun owners. Only one-third of gun owners support permitless or “constitutional” carry laws that allow people to carry concealed firearms without a permit.
Very few Americans believe the U.S. would be safer if more people carried guns. Just 35 percent of voters believe the U.S. would be a safer place to live if more people carried guns.

Many gun owners want stricter gun laws. Nearly 30 percent of gun owners say that gun laws should be stricter in the United States, while 44 percent say the laws are fine the way they are. Only 27 percent say gun laws should be less strict.
Americans overwhelmingly support background checks. 94 percent of voters support background checks for all gun buyers, including 93 percent of Republicans.
Americans believe it’s too easy to buy a gun today. 57 percent of voters believe it’s too easy to buy a gun in the U.S. today.