Rick Santorum on Gun Rights

Rick Santorum on Gun Rights

 

Senator Rick Santorum has often supported gun rights, as indicated by his 2012 GOA Survey.  In it, Santorum pledges to:

* Veto legislation banning semi-automatic firearms and large-capacity magazines;

* Repeal the Gun Free School Zones Act of 1996, which has only managed to discourage teachers and principals from protecting students against crazed killers who ignore gun bans;

* Repeal the Lautenberg gun ban of 1996, which places a lifetime gun ban on people for offenses as slight as shouting matches in the home;

* Protect veterans from the Veterans Disarmament Act — a law which has contributed to the more than 150,000 vets who have been disarmed, as they suffer from ailments such as PTSD;

* Oppose a UN gun control treaty; and

* Overturn the gun control practices which began during the Obama Administration — including a repeal of the anti-gun ObamaCare law and the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate Operation Fast & Furious.

After meeting with GOA staff, and looking at his entire voting record, we believe Santorum would make good on the above promises. We also believe he would have an “open door” policy with GOA in the future, which would be very helpful for protecting gun rights.

Having said that, he has angered gun owners from time to time, such as when he supported the anti-gun Sen. Arlen Specter in his primary against Pat Toomey in 2004.  Santorum’s support helped Specter to narrowly defeat the pro-gun Toomey.

And then there are the times he chose to follow the bad advice from other gun lobbies in the nation’s capital, rather than using the Constitution as his measuring stick.  Most of these votes came in the aftermath of the Columbine shooting when some gun lobbies were claiming that worse gun control was going to pass unless Congress passed “something.”  It’s these votes which help explain Santorum’s B- rating with Gun Owners of America.

Finally, Santorum should get honorable mention for bucking the compromises of other gun lobbies when he voted AGAINST the Gun Free School Zones ban in 1996.  To wit, Santorum has pledged to support a full repeal of this ban if he is elected President.