This post is second in a series aimed at identifying and exploring some of the public health issues and policies under consideration by candidates in the 2020 Presidential Election.
The goal of this series is to provide a deeper look at the ways in which candidates may or may not be including a public health framework in their healthcare reform policies, and encourage candidates to thoughtfully and purposefully develop nuanced, evidence-based, impactful policies. We also hope to inform the public as they continue to evaluate each candidate’s efforts to articulate plans that address healthcare and public health challenges in the U.S. Our goal is not endorse a particular candidate or political party; rather, our goal, as always, is to research, analyze, inform, and equip people with the knowledge they need to be engaged and thoughtful members of their communities and this nation.
By Connor Holmes
By many metrics, gun violence is an epidemic in the United States of America. With approximately 400 million firearms across the nation, in 2017 alone nearly 40,000 people were killed by guns. The American firearm homicide rate is 25 times that of comparable high-income nations, and approximately 21 children are shot every day. While mass public shootings, subsequent media coverage, and the inevitable political debates that later arise are emblazoned in the forefront of the American psyche, acts of gun violence occur in the everyday lives of many Americans, with firearm injury and death disproportionately impacting urban communities and communities of color. These alarming statistics that tell the story of gun violence in this country are frequently cited by many of the candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
Below I have aimed to synthesize the major policies put forward this campaign season by the Democratic candidates which intend to curb this epidemic, alongside the finer details which distinguish one candidate’s stance from another. For the sake of this analysis the individuals considered to be in competition for the 2020 Democratic Presidential candidacy are as follows: Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Elizabeth Warren, former Vice President Joe Biden, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Tom Steyer, and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
BACKGROUND CHECK REFORM
Universal Background Checks:
While the government currently operates a background check system at the federal level, managed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in conjunction with the Federal Investigation Bureau (FBI), many of the candidates find the scope of this system insufficient. Approximately 1 in 5 firearms are sold or transfer ownership without the processing of a background check. Many firearm sales occurring at gun shows, over the internet, and privately between individuals beyond the confines of a registered business escape registration with the federal system, and therefore purchasers are not subject to federal approval.
All candidates support the expansion of the federal background check system to include private sales of firearms made at gun shows and online, excluding only the most intimate exchange of guns such as gifts between family members or close friends.
The “Boyfriend Loophole”:
What is commonly referred to as the “boyfriend loophole” is a gap in current legislation that bars those convicted of domestic violence from purchasing a firearm, but only if the individual is married to, lives with, or has children with the victim. Consequently, Warren, Biden, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Steyer, and Bloomberg have committed to closing this loophole by redefining intimate partner violence under this law to include anyone with a conviction of assault or stalking regardless of relationship with the victim. Such reform would entail notification of state and federal authorities of background checks failed on the grounds of a history of domestic abuse, thus unarming domestic abusers.
The “Charleston Loophole”:
The “Charleston loophole” refers to legislation which gives the FBI a maximum of three days to perform a background check, after which a firearm sale may proceed at the discretion of the distributer. All candidates except Sanders have explicitly supported removing such a time limit.
LICENSURE AND REGULATION
Firearm Licensure System:
There is a strong desire amongst the candidates to establish a firearms licensing system, in which obtaining a license following a thorough criminal background check is required to purchase and own a gun. However, the candidates do differ in regards to the level at which such a system would be implemented and who would be tasked with managing it.
Warren proposes a licensing system that is created and operated at the federal level. Buttigieg and Steyer also support the creation of a federal licensing system, but defer to the states for implementation and management. In addition, Buttigieg specifically calls for licenses to be required to purchase ammunition.
Conversely, Biden supports a more state-centric approach in which the federal government financially incentivizes the establishment of licensing systems at the individual state level via the provision of grants. Steyer and Bloomberg additionally express support for ensuring the safe storage of firearms
Neither Sanders nor Klobuchar have outlined explicit policy proposals regarding gun licensing.
Extreme Risk Protection:
Extreme risk protection laws (also known as “red flag laws”) enable people to petition judges for an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO), which temporarily bans an individual who is deemed in crisis of hurting themselves or others from acquiring a firearm. Depending on the state, the people who can request an ERPO can be broad enough to include an individual’s coworkers, or narrow enough to include only law enforcement. All of the candidates explicitly support the creation of such legislation. Warren, Buttigieg, and Bloomberg seek to enact such a law at the federal level, with Warren suggesting Congress provide grants to incentivize the further creation of similar laws at the state level. Conversely, Biden and Klobuchar intend to rely entirely on this latter technique of financial incentivization to states, allowing each state to craft their own laws without an overarching federal requirement. Sanders and Steyer, while in support of such extreme risk protection legislation, have not stipulated the logistics of how these laws would be implemented and enforced.
Restrictions on Age and Frequency of Purchase:
Warren and Bloomberg propose federal policy to mandate a minimum age of 21 to purchase any firearm, with Klobuchar supporting this adjustment of age limitations solely in regard to the purchase of assault weapons. In addition, Warren, citing that 1 of 4 firearms involved in a crime are acquired as part of a bulk purchase, proposes a federal limit of one gun purchased per month.
Federal Ban on Assault Weapons:
All candidates support a ban on assault weapons and related paraphernalia, in line with the assault weapons ban of 1994 which was allowed to expire ten years later without renewal. The candidates unanimously call for a Congressional ban on the production and sale of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. In addition, Warren specifies regulating accessories such as silencers and trigger cranks that serve only to increase the lethality of a weapon. Warren and Biden also propose banning the importation of such weapons, with Biden specifying legislation to halt gun manufacturers from circumventing legislation by altering products without decreasing the lethality of the weapon. In addition, all candidates support the prohibition of 3-D printed and self-assembled firearms and bump stocks.
Refuting the concern that such a ban would entail the seizure of weapons, Sanders, Warren, Biden, and Steyer specify that the policy would call for owners of existing assault weapons to undergo a federal background check and register their firearms under the National Firearms Act. In addition, a federal buyback program would be implemented to remove as many weapons as possible from the American public.
Anti-Trafficking and Enforcement of Firearm Legislation:
Overall, the candidates call for a stronger enforcement of extant and proposed legislation aiming to control the access of firearms in the United States. Sanders, Warren, Biden, and Bloomberg place distinct emphasis on curbing “straw purchases” in which individuals able to pass a background check purchase firearms for criminals, with these candidates committing to direct law enforcement to target this practice. Further, Biden, Buttigieg, and Bloomberg highlight the need for law enforcement to follow up with weapons that are reported lost or stolen. Steyer has proposed the creation of discrete Office of Gun Violence Prevention to coordinate control and prevention measures at the federal level between the ATF, FBI, and other bureaus. Likewise, Bloomberg supports appointing an designated official within the White House cabinet to coordinate and oversee all gun violence prevention activities.
LEGISLATIVE REFORM
Combat the Gun Lobby:
Sanders, Warren, Buttigieg, and Steyer have committed to ending the immense lobbying power of the NRA and other promoters of firearms that consistently obstruct the passage of common sense gun violence prevention legislation. Buttigieg, Steyer, and Bloomberg specifically have proposed to repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which shields the firearms industry from liability for their role in facilitating gun violence.
Taxation of Firearm Sales:
Senator Warren specifically endorses raising taxes on firearm manufacturers and importers (30% on guns, 50% on ammunitions) to financially disincentivize the purchase of weapons. She proposes using this money to fund federal programs for gun violence prevention and law enforcement.
A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH
Public Health Research Funding:
Following vigorous National Rifle Association (NRA) lobbying efforts, Congress has continuously cut funding and limited the scope of inquiry for federal research investigating gun violence as a public health problem. All candidates support allocating significant funds (with Biden and Buttigieg committing a minimum of $50 million) to such research headed by the Department of Health and Human Services and its subsidiaries, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Community-Based Prevention Efforts:
Biden, Steyer, and Bloomberg expressly commit to allocate funding for community-based gun violence and firearm safety initiatives for prevention.
Remove Firearms from Educational Settings:
Warren, Buttigieg, and Bloomberg commit to opposing legislation permitting guns on educational campuses by non-law enforcement individuals. Biden and Klobuchar distinctly intend to block federal funding to train and arm teachers with firearms.
Mental Health and Gun Violence:
Biden and Steyer commit to promoting mental health services, both in order to prevent gun violence and to support those impacted by it.
Explore Safe-Gun Technology:
Bloomberg proposes regulating guns under the Consumer Product Safety Commission to facilitate the development of novel safety technologies.
All candidate stances were sourced from their official campaign websites, accessible below:
Connor is a third year undergraduate student at Northeastern University pursuing a degree in health science, with a concentration in global health. His primary interests relate to how health systems and policy can be organized to promote equity and justice in healthcare. This is his third semester working with PHLW.