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Mike Huckabee on Gun Control
This candidate has withdrawn from the election
Indicate which principles you support concerning gun issues. - Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
2002 AR Gubernatorial National Political Awareness Test Nov 1, 2002
Huckabee signed into law legislation that prevents liability lawsuits against gun manufacturers and opposed an assault weapons ban. He said he was also the first sitting governor to receive a permit to carry a concealed handgun.
My position on the Second Amendment to the Constitution is as clear for me as the position held by most journalists toward the 1st Amendment. While I do not consider myself a "gun nut," I proudly own a variety of firearms and enjoy hunting as well as sports shooting. But even if I were not a hunter or did not enjoy shooting, I would still be a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment right of Americans to own firearms for self-protection and as a matter of principle. There are 700,000 physicians in the US and the number of accidental deaths caused by them per year is 120,000, making the accidental death rate per physician 17%. Using the same logic, there are about 80 million gun owners, and the number of accidental gun deaths per year among all age groups is 1,500. The same calculation reveals the number of accidental deaths per gun owner to be 0.00188%. In other words, statistically, doctors are approximately 9,000 more times more dangerous than gun owners. Yet, I hear no one suggesting we ban doctors.
From Hope to Higher Ground, by Mike Huckabee, p.126-127 Jan 4, 2007
Huckabee signed into law legislation that prevents liability lawsuits against gun manufacturers and opposed an assault weapons ban. He said he was also the first sitting governor to receive a permit to carry a concealed handgun.
I consistently opposed banning assault weapons and opposed the Brady Bill.
GLENN: Gun background checks, yes, no, unsure, high, medium, low. GOVERNOR HUCKABEE: Okay with the background checks. Medium importance. As long as they are instant background checks. I don't believe in the waiting period.
When asked if he supports waiting periods, he not only said no, that he supports instant background checks--but he personalized it. "Waiting periods only inconvenience guys like me," he lamented. "When I go shopping, I want what I want, and I want it now."