Pennsylvanians are sharply divided on the issue of guns and gun control. A Muhlenberg College survey reveals this split: 60 percent of Pennsylvanians favor tighter restrictions, while 40 percent do not. On one side, those who support restrictions cite the 2018 Tree of Life shooting, Trump’s assassination attempt and gun violence in Philadelphia. On the other side, opponents point to the state’s hunting culture and Second Amendment rights.

Gun control is a big deal for young voters. In 2018, 77 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds said that gun issues would impact their vote, and 64 percent think gun laws need to be stricter.

This guide breaks down where state and national candidates stand on guns.

CANDIDATES FOR PRESIDENT ON GUNS

The president has limited leverage when it comes to gun policy. The executive can issue orders concerning background checks, dealer regulations and data tracking, but rarely does. POTUS nominates justices to the U.S. Supreme Court, who interpret the Second Amendment. Also, the president can nominate the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Dept. of Justice agency responsible for regulating the firearms and explosives industry, investigating violent crimes involving firearms, and sharing information and technology with outside partners.

Kamala Harris, Democrat

Vice President Kamala Harris has stated that preventing gun violence in America should be a top priority. Harris oversees the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Protection, and alongside President Biden, enacted the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This effort, spearheaded by Harris, is the first major federal gun safety bill passed in nearly 30 years.

Harris, who often cites the fact that she owns a gun, has expressed support for the Second Amendment, saying that “it’s a false choice to suggest you either have to choose between supporting the Second Amendment or passing reasonable gun safety laws.” Harris’ background as a prosecutor influenced her to own a gun “for probably the reason a lot of people do — for personal safety,” she said. She is committed to keeping schools and other public spaces safe from gun violence, and previously called for states to pass “red flag” laws to prevent individuals who pose a risk to themselves or others from purchasing firearms.

Donald Trump, Republican

In 2024, former President Donald Trump called himself the “best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House.” He asserted that a “radical” gun control agenda “would do nothing to prevent attacks by demented and disturbed individuals.”

Trump has the National Rifle Association (NRA) endorsement. At the NRA’s Presidential Forum in Harrisburg, Trump promised to reverse Biden-era policies on guns and said, “Every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated on my very first week back in office, perhaps my first day.”

U.S. SENATE CANDIDATES (PA) ON GUNS

The U.S. Congress has two ways to wield power over the firearms industry. They can levy taxes and regulate commerce, which includes establishing standards for sales, manufacturing, and transfers, regulating who can legally own and possess firearms and what kinds, licensing and registration requirements and processes, and regulation and powers of enforcement agencies.

Robert Casey Jr., Democrat

U.S. Senator Bob Casey was elected in 2008 as a “pro life, pro gun” candidate, but has since become an avid supporter of gun control. His early stances on guns skewed right, including a 2009 vote to allow guns on Amtrak trains. Since the 2012 shooting in Sandy Hook, however, Casey has supported every major proposal to counter gun violence. In a 2022 Washington Post op-ed, Casey explains this shift: While he respects PA’s “deep-rooted hunting culture,” he also believes that “the overwhelming majority of Americans support common-sense gun safety laws.”

Casey has introduced gun safety reforms in recent years, including the Disarm Hate Act, which prevents people convicted of hate crimes from buying firearms. In 2022, he helped pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, securing over $8.5 million in federal funding to combat gun violence in Philadelphia. Casey describes gun violence as “a public health epidemic ravaging our Nation.”

David McCormick, Republican

David McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO, is a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights and gun ownership. He describes himself as “a responsible gun owner,” shaped by his upbringing hunting in Bloomsburg, PA and five years of military service. During his 2022 Senate primary campaign, McCormick released an ad featuring him firing an assault-style rifle, with the voiceover declaring him “pro-gun and proud of it.”

McCormick’s stance remains unchanged in his 2024 campaign, where he asserted, “Law-abiding citizens have an individual right to own firearms […] and neither Congress nor the states can take that away.” In 2022, he launched the “Gun Owners for McCormick” Facebook group to garner political support from pro-gun Pennsylvanians. Despite skewing right, however, McCormick has endorsed initiatives to address the effects of gun violence, including increasing school security and expanding mental health programs.

PA ATTORNEY GENERAL CANDIDATES ON GUNS

As the Commonwealth’s chief law enforcement officer, the attorney general makes sure PA’s gun laws — mandatory background checks on gun sales except long-gun private purchases, prohibiting people convicted of domestic abuse from owning guns, requiring a concealed carry permit, and the preemption of cities or towns from superseding state laws with their own firearms laws.

Eugene DePasquale, Democrat

Eugene Depasquale, who served as the auditor general of Pennsylvania from 2013 to 2021, has indicated his commitment to addressing gun violence and promoting safety. With a 20-year record of supporting common-sense gun safety laws, Depasquale has advocated for working with different community groups to end gun violence, including sporting associations, law enforcement and mental health practitioners.

As auditor general, DePasquale conducted a year-long investigation into firearm safety in 2018, culminating in a report with 12 recommendations aimed at reducing gun-related deaths and injuries while respecting Second Amendment rights. These recommendations included expanding mental healthcare, gun training programs and background checks.

“We cannot sit idly by while so many Pennsylvanians are killed or injured by firearms,” DePasquale told the Giffords PAC. “Having a civil discussion about firearms has become difficult in today’s polarized political environment, but we all must start talking and listening to each other.” He emphasizes his goal to curb firearm deaths while protecting constitutional rights. “That’s what Pennsylvanians want,” he says. “It’s what they deserve.”

David Sunday, Republican

York County District Attorney David Sunday has a mixed stance on gun control. In 2018, Sunday praised House Bill 2275, which proposed to keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons. As Sunday has served as a county prosecutor for 15 years, he was involved in addressing crimes related to firearm safety. He stated, “It is vital that we keep firearms out of the hands of those who have demonstrated a propensity for violence.”

This year, however, Sunday was recently endorsed by the Gun Owners Association for his opposition to universal background checks and red flag laws. Additionally, Sunday has promised to expand concealed carry reciprocity agreements between states, which allow concealed carry permits to be valid in more than one state. His evolving stance reflects both his commitment to public safety and the shifting priorities within the Republican Party regarding gun rights.

PA AUDITOR GENERAL CANDIDATES ON GUNS

Malcolm Kenyatta, Democrat

PA State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, a 34-year-old Philadelphian challenging incumbent Timothy DeFoor, advocates for “common-sense gun safety policies” such as background checks and red flag laws. In January 2024, Kenyatta sponsored House Bill 777, which aimed to target “ghost guns” by imposing felonies on “anyone who sells or purchases a firearm or firearm part without serial numbers.” In Philadelphia, nearly 75 percent of residents lived within a quarter-mile of at least one fatal shooting between 2020 and 2023. Kenyatta supports strategies to reduce overall crime in PA, saying, “We need to crack down on straw purchasing, ghost guns, and investing in economically rebuilding struggling neighborhoods like mine.”

Timothy DeFoor, Republican

Auditor General Timothy DeFoor has expressed no stance on gun control and was unable to be contacted.

PA TREASURER CANDIDATES ON GUNS

Erin McClelland, Democrat

Erin McClelland has taken a nuanced stance on gun regulation. While advocating for universal background checks, she also has recognized the importance of gun ownership as a constitutional right. Her views are shaped by her upbringing in a gun-owning household in Western PA as well as 15 years of experience as a mental health counselor.

McClelland believes that background checks are a common-sense measure to prevent individuals with serious mental illness from obtaining firearms, especially in light of increasing school shootings. In 2016, she defended then-President Obama’s policy on universal gun checks, stating on Facebook: “It’s not a ban. It’s a background check.”

Stacy Garrity, Republican

Current PA State Treasurer Stacy Garrity describes herself as a “pro-gun, pro-America conservative” and is an advocate for protecting Second Amendment rights. A military veteran with three deployments to the Middle East, she is also a vocal supporter of Donald Trump’s campaign. She applauded the efforts of a 2020 gun rights rally at the PA Capitol with the slogan “Make the Second Amendment Great Again.”

Garrity was also in favor of House Bill 659, which would allow Pennsylvanians to carry concealed firearms without a license. The pro-gun group Firearm Owners Against Crime has endorsed her. In 2021, Garrity posted, “We need to remind liberal politicians that all the rights in the Bill of Rights are worthy of protection including the 2nd Amendment.”

Mara DuBois, Frances McKenzie and Julia Stern are students in Eliza Griswold’s The Media in America: Witnessing History class at Princeton University.

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