Former President Donald Trump vowed he would be a “faithful friend” to the National Rifle Association (NRA) on Friday (April) during the Association’s annual conference.
Speaking at the event in Indianapolis, Trump said he “saved” the Second Amendment during his Presidency and would continue to do so for a long time.
He asserted he was the “most pro-gun, pro-Second Amendment” President in American history, adding that with the support of the NRA, he would “once again” be a “loyal friend and fearless champion” if he claimed the White House in 2024.
Trump continued, explaining federal legislation had to be passed to strengthen the people’s right to self-defense and enforce penalties for “prosecutorial abuse.”
If he was elected as the 47th President of the U.S., Trump explained he would urge Congress to send him a bill to sign into law to create a national concealed carry “reciprocity” law, meaning that states would have to recognize concealed carry permits issued in another state, even if their own state did not issue one.
In 2017, a similar was passed in Congress’s lower chamber but did not progress to the Senate.
Trump compared concealed carry permits to marriage licenses, saying the Second Amendment should be valid “across state lines.”
The former President also claimed that “gun-grabbing bureaucrats” are “persecuting” gun manufacturers and owners daily, but that in the White House, he would focus on prosecuting “violent criminals” instead.
Trump noted that it was necessary to go after those “violent criminals” rather than worry “about somebody that will never hurt anybody with a gun [and] just wants the gun for protection.”
