Donald Trump said that he alone would defend the Second Amendment and that if Hillary Clinton wins, it will be decimated.
Trump’s debunked claim that Hillary Clinton would do away with the Second Amendment has also been paired with the suggestion that her Secret Service agents should disarm to punish her.
His campaign tweeted that the Second Amendment “will not survive a Hillary presidency” moments after the exchange.
.@HillaryClinton lists litany of ways she plans to restrict gun rights. 2A will not survive a Hillary presidency. #Debate #BigLeagueTruth
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2016
Hillary Clinton has never endorsed the repeal of the Second Amendment. She has advocated for stronger background checks prior to gun purchases and a federal prohibition on “straw purchases” to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists, domestic abusers, other violent criminals, and the severely mentally ill, a point she made in the discussion. She has also opposed special immunity for the gun industry.
We can protect our Second Amendment rights AND take commonsense steps to prevent gun violence. It’s just a question of whether we choose to.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) April 11, 2016
Clinton disagreed with a 2008 Supreme Court ruling that found for the first time that the right to bear arms was an individual right, rather than a class right, but has also made clear that she does not want to see that case overturned.
Trump, who in the past backed new gun control measures, said last month that he thinks police officers should simply disarm citizens if they find them carry guns — though he later claimed that he only would do that to people in Chicago. His statement after the Orlando Pulse shootings, suggesting that more bar owners should have been armed and firing back, drew criticism even from the National Rifle Association. He later changed his position, claiming he only had meant more armed security guards and employees.