Chris Keniston (Veterans Party of America)
This one is a fairly simple one to write, his position is very clearly "shall not be infringed". Here's his more in depth statement on the issue. Solid A+
Darrel Castle (Constitution Party)
Again, on this issue, fairly straightforward, gun rights are a constitutionally enshrined right. He states in a Jan. 2016 response to President Obama's speech on gun control: "What will the president’s new gun control measures do about all this? Absolutely nothing. That’s the sad part of all of it. The whole disgusting, teary-eyed show was just that, a well-orchestrated plan to continue controlling and directing the disorder, chaos and misery of this country." Also, the Constitution party platform regarding gun rights: "The right to bear arms is inherent in the right of self defense, defense of the family, and defense against tyranny, conferred on the individual and the community by our Creator to safeguard life, liberty, and property, as well as to help preserve the independence of the nation. The right to keep and bear arms is guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the Constitution; it may not properly be infringed upon or denied."
He gets an A+
Gary Johnson (Libertarian Party)
As governor of New Mexico he refused to sign bills that would increase gun regulations. In his 2012 book "Seven Principles" he states: "My message was a simple: individual freedom, individual rights and less government run with a common-sense business approach. I opposed public funding of abortion and federal land management control, and I supported lower taxes, term limits, tough criminal sentences, gun ownership rights, right-to-work legislation and public funds for school vouchers. I wanted to make certain that liberties and freedoms are equally available to all, with a limited government which basically ensures that no one is harmful to anyone else." (emphasis added), regarding his campaigns for governor. He has also discussed how increasing gun laws only deprives law abiding citizens, and that gun free zones make us less safe. He also opposes using watch lists as a violation of due process, and has been consistent, as governor of New Mexico and in his campaigns since, in supporting individual liberty and constitutional rights in this area. The only area of concern here is his running mate Bill Weld, who has made some outlandish comments regarding firearms and regulation thereof, and he has a more shaky history on gun rights than Johnson, however, he has since reaffirmed his commitment to individual liberty in this matter.
I would rate Johnson an A+ in this issue, but with Weld being on the ticket, He drops to an A.
Evan McMullin
Evan has promising things to say about Gun rights, stating on his campaign website:
"The right to bear arms is at the heart of the American experience. Patriots armed themselves to win our independence, and the Supreme Court has affirmed that the Second Amendment confers this individual right to all Americans. As a CIA officer, Evan has carried arms to protect himself in warzones, and he supports the rights of all Americans to protect their homes, families and freedoms and to use firearms for sport, hunting and all other lawful purposes." As well as: "Evan will reform the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and turn its purpose to assisting law enforcement in the solution of gun-related crimes rather than serving as a regulatory agency and back-door gun control organization embedded inside the Federal government. Evan will also seek 50-state reciprocity for concealed carry permits." These are both very promising statements. An area of concern, even while pointing out that Trump and Clinton both support "no fly, no buy" and other use of watch lists, removing due process, he then goes on to state that the FBI watch lists are valuable security tools, although he does state they need more transparency and due process concerns should be addressed, however, it is still a concern that I noticed. He gets an A
Donald Trump (Republican Party)
Another unreliable one on gun control, Trump used to be much less pro-gun than he suddenly appears to be. In his book "The America We Deserve" he states: "It’s often argued that the American murder rate is high because guns are more available here than in other countries. Democrats want to confiscate all guns, which is a dumb idea because only the law-abiding citizens would turn in their guns and the bad guys would be the only ones left armed. The Republicans walk the NRA line and refuse even limited restrictions." and "I generally oppose gun control, but I support the ban on assault weapons and I support a slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun". He has since changed his tune, declaring himself a huge second amendment supporter and stating he would oppose any new gun regulations, and that the focus should instead be on mental health issues. Granted, people do change their minds over time, and it is possible that he has genuinely done so. However, he continues to support FBI watch lists and "no fly, no buy", a position that removes constitutional rights without due process.
He has said some promising things on gun rights, but he's not proven himself trustworthy, and the support of "no fly, no buy" in violation of the 5th amendment is deeply concerning. He gets a C.
Jill Stein (Green Party)
While gun control is not directly mentioned on her campaign website, she has often in the past mentioned her stances on gun control, including favoring Australia style restrictions, reinstating the "Assault weapons" ban, and calling for "Much tighter" restrictions. I will give her this much, she is at least consistent, certainly more so than Hillary. She does however also put a strong emphasis on improving mental health care. Because of this focus, she gets a D-.Hillary Clinton (Democratic Party)
She is frankly somewhat all over the place on this issue, back in 2000 she supported a national registry, then backed away from the idea and tried to paint herself as a "pro gun" alternative to Obama in 2008. When campaigning in 2008 she talked about "fondly remembering" going shooting with her grandfather, as well as presenting an on the surface semi sensible approach: "What I favor is what works in NY. We have one set of rules in NYC and a totally different set of rules in the rest of the state. What might work in NYC is certainly not going to work in Montana. So, for the federal government to be having any kind of blanket rules that they’re going to try to impose, I think doesn’t make sense." However she has since swung back to the left, actually stating that Bernie Sanders is not tough enough on guns in a 2015 primary debate. She has also knowingly misused statistics, stating that 33,000 a year die from gun violence, while the actual figure for homicides with firearms is 11,000, still a tragic number, but less dramatic of a statistic.Furthermore, she supports "no fly no buy" stating "if you’re too dangerous to get on a plane, you are too dangerous to buy a gun in America."
She discusses closing the internet sale loophole, which is actually both not as bad as gun control advocates make it out to be, and not as nonexistent as gun rights advocates say it is. But, generally speaking, if you go to an online store to buy a firearm, you will have to go through a background check and through an FFL dealer to actually get the firearm. Private online sales are less regulated, but lets be honest, if someone wants to buy or sell a gun online, they will find a way.
She also discusses closing the "gun show" loophole, which is also...not really a thing, or at least not to the degree she would have you believe.
Basically, on 2nd amendment issues and gun control, I wouldn't trust her, whichever side I was on. She clearly demonstrated in 2008 that she will change positions as it is politically convenient to do so, and her positions now rely on fear and emotion, as well as distortions of the truth if not outright lies.
From a civil liberties perspective, her record and statements on this matter are terrible, she gets an F.
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