Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump released a policy proposal on Friday outlining the importance of the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms. The paper also endorses a nationwide right to carry a concealed weapon, reforming the country's background check system and advocates for the elimination of all gun and magazine bans.
"The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear," the billionaire businessman writes in his gun rights platform published on his website. "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed upon. Period ... The constitution doesn't create that right - it ensures that the government can't take it away."
It's the second policy paper released by the political newcomer, the first being released in August on immigration.
His new gun proposal lays out three areas he plans to focus on: enforcing the laws on the books, fixing our broken mental health system and defending the rights of law abiding gun owners.
Trump begins by saying he intends to "get serious about prosecuting violent criminals," adding that the Obama administration has done an abysmal job at prosecuting violent criminals during his eight years in office.
"Violent crime in cities like Baltimore, Chicago and many others is out of control," Trump said. "Drug dealers and gang members are given a slap on the wrist and then released. This needs to stop."
Trump says there's another way to fight crime - by empowering "law-abiding gun owners to defend themselves."
"Law enforcement is great, they do a tremendous job, but they can't be everywhere all of the time. Our personal protection is ultimately up to us," he said.
Moving on to the issue of America's broken mental health system, Trump suggests that all of the tragic mass murders in recent years could have been prevented if more proactive measures were taken to help the assailants, nearly all who were suffering from mental health problems that were largely ignored.
"We need to expand treatment programs, because most people with mental health problems aren't violent, they just need help. But for those who are violent, a danger to themselves of others, we need to get them off the street before they can terrorize our communities," he said. He does not specify which mental health programs should be expanded or the amount of tax dollars that should be invested in the programs.
Trump then breaches the highly controversial topic of gun and ammunition restrictions, saying such bans are "a total failure" perpetuated by "scary sounding phrases like 'assault weapons,' 'military-style weapons' and 'high capacity magazines' to confuse people."
"Law-abiding people should be allowed to own the firearm of their choice," Trump said. "The government has no business dictating what types of firearms good, honest people are allowed to own."
As The Daily Caller notes, Trump hasn't always been such a fan of people owning the firearm of their choice, saying in 2000, "I support the ban on assault weapons."
Trump also proposes fixing the broken national criminal background system that's been in place since 1998, rather than expanding it. Democrats have in recent years pushed to expand the system to cover gun shows, according to CBS News.
"Study after study has shown that very few criminals are stupid enough to try and pass a background check - they get their guns from friends/family members or by stealing them," Trump said. "So the overwhelming majority of people who go through background checks are law-abiding gun owners."
But the system isn't working as intended because "too many states are failing to put criminal and mental health records into the system."
"What we need to do is fix the system and make it work as intended. What we don't need to do is expand a broken system," the paper says.
The national right to carry concealed weapons should be valid in all 50 states, just like a driver's license is, Trump said. "If we can do that for driving - which is a privilege, not a right - then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege."
"The right of self-defense doesn't stop at the end of your driveway," he said. "That's why I have a concealed carry permit and why tens of millions of Americans do too. That permit should be valid in all 50 states."
All states allow people to carry concealed weapons, but the laws vary from state to state, and in 2012, 40 states recognized concealed carry permits from other states, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Trump concludes with a topic that was in the news following the July shooting rampage at two military facilities in Tennessee which left five service members dead: the right to carry firearms on military bases and recruiting centers. Many critics say the shooting was worsened because military members were unable to adequately defend themselves due to the law prohibiting active-duty soldiers from carrying their private weapons at U.S. military installations.
"Banning our military from carrying firearms on bases and at recruiting centers is ridiculous," Trump said. "We train our military how to safety and responsibly use firearms, but our current policies leave them defenseless. To make America great again, we need a strong military. To have a strong military, we need to allow them to defend themselves."
