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John Edwards on Gun Control

The right to bear arms is part of the United States Bill of Rights in the Constitution. Exactly what this right means today is a debate that all the candidates have weighed in on from many different perspectives. This topic includes information about candidate positions on: restricting access to firearms, the assault rifles ban, and background checks on gun purchasers.

The issues

John Edwards supports restrictions on access to firearms

Voted YES on background checks at gun shows. Require background checks on all firearm sales at gun shows. Status: Amdt Agreed to Y)50; N)50; VP decided YES

Lautenberg Amdt #362; Bill S. 254 ; vote number 1999-134 on May 20, 1999

Democratic candidate John Edwards, despite recently highlighting his boyhood outings hunting birds, rabbits and deer as well as his respect for gun ownership rights, backed his party's main gun control measures when he was in the Senate.

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"I grew up in the rural South. Everyone around me hunted, everyone had guns. I respect and believe in people's Second Amendment rights," Edwards said during the January 2004 Democratic primary debate in New Hampshire. "That does not, however, mean that somebody needs an AK-47 to hunt. It does not mean that somebody who's been convicted of a violent crime should be able to walk out of prison, walk across the street and buy a gun. It does not mean that we shouldn't take every step that we can take to keep guns safe and keep guns out of the hands of kids. So, my belief is, first, I defend people's Second Amendment rights, but I don't think it's without limit."

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John Edwards supports a ban on assault weapons

"I grew up in the rural South. Everyone around me hunted, everyone had guns. I respect and believe in people's Second Amendment rights," Edwards said during the January 2004 Democratic primary debate in New Hampshire. "That does not, however, mean that somebody needs an AK-47 to hunt. It does not mean that somebody who's been convicted of a violent crime should be able to walk out of prison, walk across the street and buy a gun. It does not mean that we shouldn't take every step that we can take to keep guns safe and keep guns out of the hands of kids. So, my belief is, first, I defend people's Second Amendment rights, but I don't think it's without limit."

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John Edwards supports running background checks on individuals purchasing guns.

Voted YES on background checks at gun shows. Require background checks on all firearm sales at gun shows. Status: Amdt Agreed to Y)50; N)50; VP decided YES

Lautenberg Amdt #362; Bill S. 254 ; vote number 1999-134 on May 20, 1999

"I grew up in the rural South. Everyone around me hunted, everyone had guns. I respect and believe in people's Second Amendment rights," Edwards said during the January 2004 Democratic primary debate in New Hampshire. "That does not, however, mean that somebody needs an AK-47 to hunt. It does not mean that somebody who's been convicted of a violent crime should be able to walk out of prison, walk across the street and buy a gun. It does not mean that we shouldn't take every step that we can take to keep guns safe and keep guns out of the hands of kids. So, my belief is, first, I defend people's Second Amendment rights, but I don't think it's without limit."

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